Book Cover

The symbiosis between Homo Automotivis and the car has economic, social, geographical, environmental, cultural and even religious dimensions.

# Review

Growing up watching Top Gear, playing Forza Motorsport, and having a poster of a Ferrari 599 on my wall, it's safe to say that I really like cars. That's why I decided to read this book, which argues against the proliferation of cars, to get the opposite side of the argument.

The narrative follows the two authors on a journey (by bus) across the US to explore the impact of automobiles on each of the cities they visit. I really like the colloquial tone of the book and how accessible it is.

The topics covered are various, from the rise of automobiles (through government support), to the impact of automobiles on different cities, and ultimately to the harms that the proliferation of automobiles has on the world. I was most interested in learning about the harms of automobiles; among the obvious harms such as climate change and urban sprawl, I was surprised to find how wide the impacts of cars really are. The authors make many new arguments that I've never seen before, such as cars contributing to segregation (through the placement of highways) and cars contributing to terrorism (through the petroleum industry).

I don't 100% buy the message that cars are the ultimate evil in society, as cars have unlocked tremendous economic value for the world as well as contributed to economic (and literal) mobility. I am, however, much more conscious of the harms of overreliance on cars and the subsequent consequences, such as poor city planning. I am also optimistic that with the development of more efficient and convenient transportation, the reliance on personal vehicles will wane and with the development of better cars, the many harms of enjoying cars will be mitigated.

# Conclusion

A very insightful book on why cars may not be as cool as they seem.

# Overall rating: 7.6

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