Kicking Up Dirt ─ A True Story of Determination, Deafness, and Daring

With her fuchsia-streaked hair and indomitable spirit, 18-year-old Ashley Fiolek is already the top girl in a macho man's sport: motocross, a form of off-road motorcycle racing that is one of the most popular extreme sports in America. 2008 marked Fiolek's first year as a pro, and her success was unprecedented: She won the Motocross Rider of the Year award, Motocross Youth Rider of the Year award, and beat an older and more experienced field to take the Women's Motocross Association Championship. Her biggest goal is to be just as fast -- or faster -- than the boys. And at only 1.5 seconds over the qualifying time for men's pro races, she's not too far from realizing that goal. Though Fiolek may look like the girl next door, she's much more than her 5'2' frame suggests. Fiolek was born profoundly deaf, a handicap that makes everyday life difficult -- and competition on the track downright dangerous. Fiolek was shy and introverted as a young child, but at seven she began racing, learning to shift gears by feeling the vibrations of her bike. And as her successes grew through hard work and no small number of broken bones, so too did her confidence. Today, she's not only at the top of her sport, but a smiling, outgoing, everyday teenager, texting with her friends constantly and talking about boys. It's this everygirlness, combined with her triumph over adversity that has drawn the attention of scores in the mainstream media and endorsement deals: She's the first motocross athlete (male or female) to be sponsored by T-Mobile, the first woman to be part of the Honda/Red Bull factory racing team, and the first woman to grace the cover of a major motocross magazine.Reminiscent of Bethany Hamilton's New York Times bestselling SOUL SURFER, ROCKET GIRL is a remarkable, inspiring tale, tracing a young woman's courage and determination in the face of truly challenging circumstances.