Engines of Change by Paul Ingrassia

With the abundance of information regarding every aspect of car ownership, maintenance, and lore available at a moment's notice, it's become increasingly difficult to tie both new and meaningful narratives to the history of the automobile. From Henry Ford's Model T and the beginnings of a middle class, to the alternative-fuel Prius and its barrage of Hollywood drivers, most of the facts have become common knowledge, the type of thing that doesn't take a history book or a manual to learn. By acknowledging the difficulty in crafting a non-academic study of cars, Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars by the Pulitzer-Prize winning Paul Ingrassia is the perfect text for a shallow study of 20th century car culture.

For example, the chapter on Cadillac tackles the rise of Chrysler's designer Virgil Exner and his creation of sleek tail-fins, the ultimate status symbol that was later adopted by General Motors to create one of the most iconic symbols of post-war prosperity and a nod to the Cold War space-race. Weaving through references to literature, television, and film captures what made car-culture appealing to both teenagers and their parents, from the appropriation of a German people's car (originally commissioned by Adolf Hitler) by Grateful Dead-loving hippies, to the excesses of John DeLorean's quintessential 80's drug-trafficking vessel popularized by the Back to the Future franchise. More than mere references, the book strays from being overtly preachy or detailed to provide brief snapshots of American culture, whether economic, social, or just a glimpse at the evolving nature of marketing tactics, while avoiding the incomprehensible jargon of automobile aficionados. While most likely unhelpful to experts, the book caters mercifully to the casual curiosity of readers who enjoy seeing where cultural paths cross with their Automobile 101 certificate in hand. In Engines of Change, Ingrassia tackles not just fifteen of the most well-known cars in North America, but their legends as pop culture icons.

-Anna