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As someone who grew up going to Action Park and then going still to Mountaincreek, I loved this story. It was like getting to peak behind the curtain. It was awesome learning the truth behind all of the wild rides that you do compare injuries and experiences on like it‘s a rite of passage. I mean if you didn‘t almost die, were you really there?! The story of the family run business is as crazy as the rides and I loved every minute of it.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#12BooksOf2022

My favorite book in May was definitely the tagged one. It chronicles the almost-impossible-to-believe-but-it‘s-all-true story of an amusement park that broke ALL the rules with gleeful abandon. Stories I heard from Littens who went to the park made it even better. A must read if you enjoying jaw-dropping, entertaining nonfiction. Honorable mentions include a gorgeous graphic novel about the Dust Bowl & a MG fantasy.

@Andrew65

Imagine a completely bananas amusement park that has little concern for safety, near daily injuries, and drunken lunatics galavanting through. You have Action Park, a real amusement park in the 80s and 90s, remembered here by one of the sons of the founder. This book is a ton of fun and makes me kinda glad I never went there.

One of my latest bookclub reads. It was interesting and kept me turning the pages! I‘d never heard of this amusement park in NJ before and the owner was quite a character! Enjoyed the book, but full disclosure, really don‘t like the cover 🙈 Read it on my kindle so the cover wasn‘t in front of me each time I went to read it. 4⭐️

As someone who is the opposite of a thrill seeker (rules?!? yes please!!!) this place sounds absolutely terrifying…and marvelous and adventurous and wow oh wow do I find it hard to believe such a place existed in all its wild abandon as recently as it did. And for those Littens who went, I‘m so glad you made it out in one piece! A fascinating book about one man‘s driving ambition to giving people what they wanted—a rollicking good time.

Another friend recommendation—one who tells me that as wild and crazy as the stories about this amusement park sound, they are in fact true. (I want to say she grew up in the area? Maybe even went a time or two?) anticipating a very entertaining book.

This book was crazy but so interesting!

#12BooksOf2021 The 12 best books I read in 2021.

This week‘s #bookhaul. It‘s a real mix of things—YA, MG, NF, thrillers and all sorts of Star Wars.

I LOVED this book! I grew up in the 1980's in West Milford, New Jersey, which was only about a half an hour away from Action Park. I knew that people were always getting hurt there, but what I wasn't aware of was the intentionally libertarian (negligent) attitude toward safety, the fact that danger was a sort of romanticized philosophy embedded in the park. This book is darkly hysterical, and if I hadn't been there myself, I wouldn't believe it.

Combat experience was handy...just to serve as a lifeguard in the Wave Pool. Let that sink in.

I explained that, if we couldn't see the bottom of the pool, that meant we couldn't see any people at the bottom of the pool.
"Andy," he said, shaking his head. "You can't see the bottom of the ocean, either."
"So?"
"So, that doesn't mean you stop people from swimming in it if they want."

(Continued)...out of a custom-made cannon at an absolutely ridiculous one hundred miles per hour, allowing the drivers to fire upon one another. It was Wimbledon meets Vietnam.

(CONTINUED)....flammable.

Guests riding down an asbestos chute on a plastic cart could choose whether to adopt a leisurely pace or tear down at 30 miles per hour and risk hitting a sharp turn that would eject them into the woods. They decided when to dive off a cliff and whether to aim for open water or their friend's head. They could listen when the attendants told them to stay in the speedboats, or they could tumble into the marsh water and get bit by a snapping turtle.

I grew up in New Jersey. I saw ads for Action Park all the time. I wanted to go so badly. My parents never took us. I am so glad now. Details of the insanity will make you laugh and make you glad it's not the 1970s anymore.

Guys. This kind of book is not usually my jam, but I loved it!! Laugh out loud in parts, tragic in others. Pure quintessential Americana.

This book is like a mix of GLOW, and Animal House. By turns hilarious, disgusting, serious, and just wholely unbelievable I loved it. It details a amusement park from 1977-1997 by the founder‘s son. Stories include: The Alpine which is basically concrete surfing, water rides that rip off clothes, go carts that go 50mph, and the endless injuries.
I‘d never want to visit but Action Park is fascinating to read about (nostalgia alone pulls you in)

I don‘t know why but this is the book I was looking for. So far a memorable line: “he called me ‘college boy‘ because he once saw me reading a book”

What even is this book?!

A little palate cleanser. This looks super interesting!!!

Oooo, tbr.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/07/action-park-danger-history-bailey-ball-...