A review by stevenk
Engines of Change: A History of the American Dream in Fifteen Cars by Paul Ingrassia

4.0

This book starts with the Model T (the car that put America on the road) and the cars that follow are each picked for some way they directed or reflected American society. Some of the cars are there for their positives the (VW bugs comeback after WWII) some for their negatives (the Corvair and it's contribution to the litigation society), and some for both (Lee Iacocca saving the iconic Jeep brand and Chrysler with it, but the Grand Cherokee then starting the SUV as daily driver culture). I found the insider stories fascinating and some of them left me shaking my head and thinking "you couldn't make this stuff up." I found this book to be full of facts about the cars and their creators and written in a way that made it quick reading. The fifteen cars the author chose are: the Model T, LaSalle, 1959 Cadillac, Corvette, VW Beetle & Microbus, Corvair, Mustang, GTO, Accord, Chrysler Minivan, BMW 3 Series, Jeep, F series pickup and Prius.