Action Park

Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park

By: Andy Mulvihill, Jake Rossen

Narrated by: Michael Satow

"Citizen Kane does Adventureland." (The Washington Post)

The outlandish, hilarious, terrifying, and almost impossible-to-believe story of the legendary, dangerous amusement park where millions were entertained and almost as many bruises were sustained, told through the eyes of the founder's son

Often called "Accident Park", "Class Action Park", or "Traction Park", Action Park was an American icon. Entertaining more than a million people a year in the 1980s, the New Jersey-based amusement playland placed no limits on danger or fun, a monument to the anything-goes spirit of the era that left guests in control of their own adventures - sometimes with tragic results. Though it closed its doors in 1996 after nearly 20 years, it has remained a subject of constant fascination ever since, an establishment completely anathema to our modern culture of rules and safety.

Action Park is the first-ever unvarnished look at the history of this DIY Disneyland, as seen through the eyes of Andy Mulvihill, the son of the park's idiosyncratic founder, Gene Mulvihill. From his early days testing precarious rides to working his way up to chief lifeguard of the infamous Wave Pool to later helping run the whole park, Andy's story is equal parts hilarious and moving, chronicling the life and death of a uniquely American attraction, a wet and wild 1980s adolescence, and a son's struggle to understand his father's quixotic quest to become the Walt Disney of New Jersey. Packing in all of the excitement of a day at Action Park, this is destined to be one of the most unforgettable memoirs of the year.

©2020 Andy Mulvihill and Jake Rossen (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“I went to Action Park exactly once in the 1990s. I saw people with open wounds. I was asked if I was an expert swimmer by a bored 16 year old before entering a pitch dark water pipe that ejected me feet over ice cold water. I bruised my ribs on the turn of one water slide and spent the next day in exquisite pain. I never wanted to go back again. Until I read this book. Now I miss it. Why do we as a species crave danger and punishment? You won’t find the answer here, but you will find story after unbelievable story of a place that should have never existed.” (John Hodgman, author of Vacationland and Medallion Status)

"Reading Andy Mulvihill’s chronicle of fast times at his father Gene’s amusement park resembles an actual visit: fun and hilarity one second, shock and horror the next...Alternately wistful and clear-eyed about the past, Andy’s story will be cherished by those who remember their own Coppertone-scented teen summers.” (Booklist)

"Action Park, like Jurassic Park, brims with mortal danger, except Action Park was somehow real. If you ever worked a summer job with guys named Smoke, Puff and Ring-Ding, you'll instantly recognize the time and place. Every page is so redolent of beer, fear, lust and chlorine that it’s practically scratch-and-sniff." (Steve Rushin, author of Sting-Ray Afternoons and Nights in White Castle)

The grand disasterpiece!

Probably one of the funniest books I’ve read in recent memory. Excellent and I would recommend to anyone looking for a good laugh or to relive their wasted (literally and figuratively) youth

better than the movie

Good insight to such a wild place, some funny and out right crazy stories from one of the sun's of the man who is responsible for action park.

Sorry I missed it

Jumped off houses, bridges and seawalls as a kid. I would have absolutely maimed myself at AP. Great book, well-performed.

Calling All 90s Kids

This was a love letter to all Action Parks of the late 80s and 90s. And from a late 80s kid, it made my heart long for those hot Jersey summer days where heaven was a filthy, dangerous, overcrowded water slide that you had to stand in line for 2 hours just for 4 minutes of bliss. Thank you, Andy Mulvihill.

Great story!

Growing up in this time period I forget how dangerous our world was compared to these safe days ! Good times.

What a ride

Very interesting story told with a bit of humor and we'll vocalized. Would love to have seen some of what is discussed.

What an amazing story!!!

This could possibly be one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read. Slam dunk!

I was scared but I kind of wish I was there

It's hard to believe this really happened, but it is pretty entertaining to read about. Given that this was written by the son of the man that owned Action park I wasn't sure what the quality of the writing would be. But he and his co-writer really did a great job. I also loved the narrator who did this justice and gives it a good dose of New Jersey swagger.

Fascinating, but lacking in substance

Mulvihill is a good storyteller, but it’s hard to get past the fact that over and over again in the book, he acts as though his father wasn’t *really* doing anything wrong. The book wants to put Gene Mulvihill on a pedestal, but he feels more like a malevolent force of nature than the hero his kid thinks he is.

Worth your time.

I haven't even finished this book and yet I'm giving it five stars. I'm giving it five stars before finishing it because we all know how it ends, and that's irrelevant; the park closes. I looked up "Action Park" because of the obvious sensationalism of the subject matter. I discovered a book about a sensible son coming to grips with being raised by a reckless, neurotic father which ultimately amounts to people watching gold. As entertaining as non fiction gets.