Book Log 2009 #22: Autophobia by Brian Ladd

While Americans are often said to have a love affair with the car, Ladd attempts to demonstrate in this book that it's actually more of a love-hate affair, seen today in our outcries against high gas prices, gridlock and the environmental cost of driving. Ladd also notes that this sort of relationship has actually existed since the dawn of the automotive age, with its concerns over the reckless speed and the safety of drivers, passengers and pedestrians.

The subject matter sounds interesting and is undeniably timely, but as presented here it was hard for me to really draw any conclusions. I found the first chapter had a number of interesting points, but was perhaps not organized in a way to best get me thinking about the subject in a larger perspective. By the end of the first chapter I had enough doubt about how the book was going to pan out that I didn't bother moving on to the second.

I'd not suggest this book, unless you're really interested in a social perspective on automobiles.