Books: Chicks on Bikes by Christina Shook
In January, I had the good fortune of meeting Christina Shook; author of the book Chicks on Bikes when the International Motorcycle Show came rolling in to New York City.
Chicks on Bikes – The Book
Chicks on Bikes explores what it means to be a woman on a motorcycle. Over a period of 10 years, Christina met and photographed a diverse and colorful group of women who all shared a common bond: the joy of riding.
As I read through the pages, the stories that accompanied each woman had something in their experience that resonated with me. But it was a line in the introduction to the book that really struck a chord:
…it taught me a lesson that I learned over and over. Don’t come with preconceived notions, and remember to appreciate all the quirks and contradictions.
What I learned from the book’s 152 pages is that being a woman motorcyclist means – everything. For every woman who feels most at home in leather and grease there is another who can hardly wait to slip out of her riding boots and into a pair of strappy pumps. Gay, straight, fat, skinny, shy, audacious – women who ride are all these things and more.
Christina’s portraits of women on wheels beautifully capture their diversity and their unity in the love of the machine.
Though it may be impossible to fit all women motorcyclists into 1 or 2 neat categories, one thing is for sure – Chicks on Bikes kicks ass.
Awesome. I’m going to have to pick up the book. I stumbled upon Christina’s blog a few months ago but haven’t been back in a while. Thanks for the reminder.
She’s a really cool chick, James. It was really fun to meet and hang out with her and Judy from MotorcycleTravelAmerica.com and Andrea from Wrapter.com
Great buncha broads! 🙂
Well, it no secret how much I love the book.. and the author. She is really something! A women from my local HD dealership “borrowed” my copy and loves it so much that I cant get it back from her!! Fortunately, I know where to get another one.
Hey, thanx for saying im a great broad. I feel the same about you, darlin…