211 pp., photographs, index
Cloth 978-1-931968-05-8; $28.95 SALE: $18.95
Ohio History and Culture

-View an excerpt from Champions, Cheaters,
and Childhood Dreams-

Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams provides a history of the race from its beginning on a hillside in Dayton, to the corporate-sponsored star-studded event it became in the 1950s and 1960s. It chronicles an era of near-obscurity after the event was rocked by the withdrawal of its major corporate sponsor and by a legendary cheating scandal.

Through first-person accounts and historical narrative, the book reveals the influences of the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights and feminist movements, Vietnam, and Watergate, which help shaped the race, transforming it from a simple amateur event into an American icon.

Melanie Payne is an award-winning journalist and writer. Her work has appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide. She has worked as a staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal and The Sacramento Bee newspapers. A Cleveland, Ohio native, she currently lives in California with her husband, Rodney Williams and their dog, Doc.