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A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars
Simon & Schuster
May 2012
On Sale: May 1, 2012
416 pages
ISBN: 1451640633
EAN: 9781451640632
Kindle: B005GG0LGG
Hardcover / e-Book
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Non-Fiction
A narrative like no other: a cultural history that explores how cars have both propelled and reflected the American experienceβ from the Model T to the Prius. From the assembly lines of Henry Ford to the open roads of Route 66, from the lore of Jack Kerouac to the sex appeal of the Hot Rod, Americaβs history is a vehicular historyβan idea brought brilliantly to life in this major work by Pulitzer Prizeβwinning journalist Paul Ingrassia. Ingrassia offers a wondrous epic in fifteen automobiles, including the Corvette, the Beetle, and the Chevy Corvair, as well as the personalities and tales behind them: Robert McNamaraβs unlikely role in Lee Iacoccaβs Mustang, John Z. DeLoreanβs Pontiac GTO , Henry Fordβs Model T, as well as Hondaβs Accord, the BMW 3 Series, and the Jeep, among others. Through these cars and these characters, Ingrassia shows how the car has expressed the particularly American tension between the lure of freedom and the obligations of utility. He also takes us through the rise of American manufacturing, the suburbanization of the country, the birth of the hippie and the yuppie, the emancipation of women, and many more fateful episodes and eras, including the carβs unintended consequences: trial lawyers, energy crises, and urban sprawl. Narrative history of the highest caliber, Engines of Change is an entirely edifying new way to look at the American story.
 Media BuzzCBS Sunday Morning - July 29, 2012
Weekend Edition Saturday - May 5, 2012
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