¶ … Nation on Wheels: The Automobile Culture in America Since 1945, by Mark S. Foster. Specifically, it will contain a scholarly report on the book.
NATION ON WHEELS
Nation on Wheels" is a comprehensive look at the varied history of the automobile in America. While the book ostensibly covers the period in the auto's development from 1945 on, the author begins by "setting the stage" for the automobile's impressive history and impact on the United States by illustrating how horseless carriages came into being, and how the petroleum industry played such a large and lucrative part in the development of the first automobiles. He also includes other national and international developments that had important and lasting effects on the auto industry, from development of a national Interstate highway system, to World War II and the growth of suburbia and commuting after the war. Other influences on the automobile, such as mass transit, environmental pollution, turmoil in the auto industry, and the transformation of the auto industry in the 1990s are also included, because this book is a comprehensive history of the miraculous machines, and why Americans are so enamored of their automobiles. To make the book complete, the author includes his vision of the future of the automobile, including safety and speed issues, and how to reduce commutes. Ultimately, this book is more than a history of the automobile, it is a telling history of American society, and how dependent we have become on our much-beloved autos. The author does a masterful job of conforming this information into a short volume that holds a wide variety of historic and compelling information while still holding to his main thesis; how the car affected Americans and the way we live.
In the Preface, the author states his thesis quite clearly. "Therefore, I attempted to provide much of the essential flavor of the automobile's impact on various facets of American life. Still I had to leave some seasonings out" (Foster viii). There have been many historic volumes written about the automobile, but none that illustrate society...
Foster even discusses how autos have influenced American
music and films, and acknowledges, "The automobile has been an incredibly powerful, aggressive shaper of
American culture. Few facets of American life are immune from its impact" (Foster viii). Filled with anecdotes, research, and some amazing insights, Foster manages to perpetuate his thesis while writing an entertaining and enjoyable read. The American automobile is much more than simply transportation in our society; it is a status symbol, rolling extra room, and even a romantic hideaway. How it got to be that way, and what it says about us as Americans may not always be easy to read and agree with, but it is certainly interesting and
informative.
Of course, even though the thesis is well thought out and presented clearly, as with any publication, this book offers strengths and weaknesses to the reader. The author uses vast detail and research to back up his thesis about the auto and society, and brings up some interesting points, such as how the car has affected our
leisure time. Today, it seems like we spend too much time in our car, but when good roads and faster cars developed, families could actually drive to their
vacation destinations, seeing a lot more of the country along the way. As the author notes, "For Americans sightseeing in their own country, the automobile provided an attractive and exciting alternative to the conventional, predictable vacations they had experienced in the past" (Foster 23). This was an interesting thought that had not occurred to me, but made perfect sense after I read Foster's thoughts and examples. He clearly expands on this thought later in the book when he discusses how the car created the roadside motel that still exists today, and has expanded to include the airport side hotel, ready for any traveler by
land or air. This in only one example of many that illustrate how Foster backs up his ideas with research and clear illustrations to make his point. Unfortunately, not all of his reasoning is so clear and well defined. For…
