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Hot Rod
Speed! Danger! Death! These words were splashed across the cover of Hot Rod, warning readers. Written in 1950, this book gives an historical look at the dangers of teens and reckless driving. After WWII, cars became more accessible, and teens were now hitting the roads for excitement. Many horrific accidents occurred all over the country. Felsen was specifically approached to write a book about the dangers of teen drivers. Bud Crayne was the typical tough guy with a chip on his shoulder. Dressed in a black leather jacket, black boots, and blue jeans, he was not the clean cut kid. Adults cursed him, while teens admired him. He drove fast and wild. His idea was to "drive your way out" of any trouble. While it worked for Bud, others weren't as fortunate. A couple of horrific wrecks make him question his need for speed. Stephen King, when interviewed for an article called Reading While Famous, named Felsen as one of four authors who most influenced him when he was young. He actually used Hot Rod and Henry Gregor Felsen as a book Ben Hanscom was reading in the book "It."
153 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1950
14 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Henry Gregor Felsen
75 books14 followersFelsen was born and attended school in Brooklyn, N.Y.C. He taught part-time at Drake University (1964-1969), and in 1977 left Iowa to spend his remaining years traveling.
After struggling financially during the Depression, Felsen sold nine books and hundreds of stories in his first eighteen months of full-time freelance writing in the early 1940s. After war service with the Marine Corps, during which he edited the corps magazine Leatherneck and also wrote magazine articles while stationed in the Pacific, he returned to Iowa where he lived for most of his life.
Felsen was a prolific author. He wrote more than 60 books and hundreds of articles and short stories. Felsen's most popular writings were his car series books. The series (Hot Rod, Street Rod, Rag Top, Crash Club) was especially popular with teenage males, and sold more than eight million copies. Hot Rod (1950) was the most popular title and remained on the best-seller list for 27 years. Even though his books were about young men, fast cars, and girlfriends, Felsen used many of them to moralistically explore the evils of drug abuse, sexism, and racism. He claimed that "I was years ahead of my time to approach and explore these topics in literature aimed at the young reader. "The car series also appealed to young readers because it realistically paralleled the car culture of the 1950s and the craze of "hot rodding." The realism in his writing was also evident in the unhappy endings and heroes who were often rebels. Felsen's books reflected the morals, values, and prejudices of the time.
He is also credited with one screenplay, the 1968 film Fever Heat, based on his novel of the same name which had been published under the pen name of Angus Vicker.
Felsen was married twice and had two children and two stepchildren. In 1977 he left West Des Moines to move to Vermont and later lived in Michigan. Felsen spent much of the last two decades of his life traveling. He lived in Grandville, Michigan, and died of a heart ailment in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1995.
After struggling financially during the Depression, Felsen sold nine books and hundreds of stories in his first eighteen months of full-time freelance writing in the early 1940s. After war service with the Marine Corps, during which he edited the corps magazine Leatherneck and also wrote magazine articles while stationed in the Pacific, he returned to Iowa where he lived for most of his life.
Felsen was a prolific author. He wrote more than 60 books and hundreds of articles and short stories. Felsen's most popular writings were his car series books. The series (Hot Rod, Street Rod, Rag Top, Crash Club) was especially popular with teenage males, and sold more than eight million copies. Hot Rod (1950) was the most popular title and remained on the best-seller list for 27 years. Even though his books were about young men, fast cars, and girlfriends, Felsen used many of them to moralistically explore the evils of drug abuse, sexism, and racism. He claimed that "I was years ahead of my time to approach and explore these topics in literature aimed at the young reader. "The car series also appealed to young readers because it realistically paralleled the car culture of the 1950s and the craze of "hot rodding." The realism in his writing was also evident in the unhappy endings and heroes who were often rebels. Felsen's books reflected the morals, values, and prejudices of the time.
He is also credited with one screenplay, the 1968 film Fever Heat, based on his novel of the same name which had been published under the pen name of Angus Vicker.
Felsen was married twice and had two children and two stepchildren. In 1977 he left West Des Moines to move to Vermont and later lived in Michigan. Felsen spent much of the last two decades of his life traveling. He lived in Grandville, Michigan, and died of a heart ailment in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
April 12, 2025
Five stars for the 1950 YA equivalent of a finger-wagging ABC Afterschool Special? Absolutely, because HOT ROD is the definitive, the triumphant granddaddy, of all future “Behold what tragedy awaits you youngsters, ‘less you smarten up and do right!” tales.
I first found it in my teenage uncle’s bedroom at Grandma and Grandpa Barnash’s house. Uncle Bob was never there, because he WAS a hot rodder, who probably spent 24/7 at whatever garage he tinkered in, and went on to make his name competing in speed trials at Watkins Glen. Did I know this at the time? No, because no one in the family talked about it. It was his private world, and probably looked down upon to some extent. By the time I put it together that this quiet dude was kind of a local hero, he’d sold his race car and retired. I’m also willing to bet HOT ROD is the only novel he ever read.
He likely saw himself in Bud Crayne, the loner hero who’s meticulously assembled his hop up, bolt by bolt, out of spare parts. As the novel opens, Bud is speeding between his rural town and the next, not like a maniac, but calm and confident as he jots down engineering and performance data on the notepad strapped to his leg, the perfect fusion of man and machine, what Tom Wolfe later called The Right Stuff.
I've never known or cared much about cars, but that opening was forever seared in my brain. When I got into movies, scenes of men in quiet control of their skills always impressed me: John Wayne facing down outlaws, Michael Mann’s cops and robbers, Tom Cruise flying an F-14, shooting pool, coming down a wire, or tending bar. Bud Crayne perhaps inspired the weary hot rodder John Millner in AMERICAN GRAFITTI, as well as the giddy exuberance of Burt Reynolds’ seventies icon Bandit.
HOT ROD’s opening scene is later topped by Bud’s “speed run,” his bet that he can get to the big town fifty miles away in under thirty minutes, the ultimate test of his baby, and prowess, against the hapless regular drivers he blows past at a hundred and ten, as well as all the cops giving chase. Oh, and he’s got the prettiest girl in school by his side. And no seat belts.
The problem, you see, is all the other kids in town look up to this guy. They want to be cool too, only it’s 1950. There’s no rock ‘n roll on the jukebox yet, no drive-in, roller rink, video arcade, or skate park in this nowhere town, so the boys are all Luke Skywalkers tearing around in crusty land speeders as they dream of Getting Out, or Han Solo in his hop up making the Kessel Run and outrunning Imperial starships. Maybe HOT ROD was the only novel George Lucas read back in Modesto.
Is author Henry Gregor Felson some unheralded giant of American letters? He'll sometimes write three sentences too many, his characters are stock, and the dialogue wooden, but it’s an absolute diamond of dramatic structure, fully embraces the allure of the automobile, and he nails that small town anomie as well as the young Larry McMurtry.
I loved HOT ROD so much as a kid, I swiped it from Uncle Bob’s room, re-read it as a teenager, and just re-read it out loud to my thirteen-year-old daughter over breakfast. It kind of completes a classic YA trilogy of WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS (1962) and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (1977), only here the sensitive young fellow enjoys a special bond with his car instead of a couple coon hounds, or an imaginative girl chum.
Uncle Bob turned seventy last month, so I thought it would be fun to give him his book back. Then I remembered the old, yellowing library sleeve pasted on the inside back cover. See, Bob had checked HOT ROD out of the Ridgewood Junior High School Library. The stamp shows it was due back March 13th, 1968, but it was still up in his room six, seven years later. So, really, the two of us should take it back next time I'm in town, and, y’know, ask the librarian what the fine is.
Googled the school, and nope, RJHS is long gone. There’s a Wegmans there now.
So, yeah, I stole HOT ROD, from an actual hot rodder, who stole it himself. And I’m keepin' it.
I first found it in my teenage uncle’s bedroom at Grandma and Grandpa Barnash’s house. Uncle Bob was never there, because he WAS a hot rodder, who probably spent 24/7 at whatever garage he tinkered in, and went on to make his name competing in speed trials at Watkins Glen. Did I know this at the time? No, because no one in the family talked about it. It was his private world, and probably looked down upon to some extent. By the time I put it together that this quiet dude was kind of a local hero, he’d sold his race car and retired. I’m also willing to bet HOT ROD is the only novel he ever read.
He likely saw himself in Bud Crayne, the loner hero who’s meticulously assembled his hop up, bolt by bolt, out of spare parts. As the novel opens, Bud is speeding between his rural town and the next, not like a maniac, but calm and confident as he jots down engineering and performance data on the notepad strapped to his leg, the perfect fusion of man and machine, what Tom Wolfe later called The Right Stuff.
I've never known or cared much about cars, but that opening was forever seared in my brain. When I got into movies, scenes of men in quiet control of their skills always impressed me: John Wayne facing down outlaws, Michael Mann’s cops and robbers, Tom Cruise flying an F-14, shooting pool, coming down a wire, or tending bar. Bud Crayne perhaps inspired the weary hot rodder John Millner in AMERICAN GRAFITTI, as well as the giddy exuberance of Burt Reynolds’ seventies icon Bandit.
HOT ROD’s opening scene is later topped by Bud’s “speed run,” his bet that he can get to the big town fifty miles away in under thirty minutes, the ultimate test of his baby, and prowess, against the hapless regular drivers he blows past at a hundred and ten, as well as all the cops giving chase. Oh, and he’s got the prettiest girl in school by his side. And no seat belts.
The problem, you see, is all the other kids in town look up to this guy. They want to be cool too, only it’s 1950. There’s no rock ‘n roll on the jukebox yet, no drive-in, roller rink, video arcade, or skate park in this nowhere town, so the boys are all Luke Skywalkers tearing around in crusty land speeders as they dream of Getting Out, or Han Solo in his hop up making the Kessel Run and outrunning Imperial starships. Maybe HOT ROD was the only novel George Lucas read back in Modesto.
Is author Henry Gregor Felson some unheralded giant of American letters? He'll sometimes write three sentences too many, his characters are stock, and the dialogue wooden, but it’s an absolute diamond of dramatic structure, fully embraces the allure of the automobile, and he nails that small town anomie as well as the young Larry McMurtry.
I loved HOT ROD so much as a kid, I swiped it from Uncle Bob’s room, re-read it as a teenager, and just re-read it out loud to my thirteen-year-old daughter over breakfast. It kind of completes a classic YA trilogy of WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS (1962) and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA (1977), only here the sensitive young fellow enjoys a special bond with his car instead of a couple coon hounds, or an imaginative girl chum.
Uncle Bob turned seventy last month, so I thought it would be fun to give him his book back. Then I remembered the old, yellowing library sleeve pasted on the inside back cover. See, Bob had checked HOT ROD out of the Ridgewood Junior High School Library. The stamp shows it was due back March 13th, 1968, but it was still up in his room six, seven years later. So, really, the two of us should take it back next time I'm in town, and, y’know, ask the librarian what the fine is.
Googled the school, and nope, RJHS is long gone. There’s a Wegmans there now.
So, yeah, I stole HOT ROD, from an actual hot rodder, who stole it himself. And I’m keepin' it.
January 31, 2023
I remember reading this book back in high school or junior high along with some of Felsen's other hot rod novels. At the time I thought it was really an action-packed story about a young man and his hot rod and how he was able to drive better and faster than anyone else in the small town he lived in. I didn't remember a whole lot more about the book but I came to find out that Felsen wrote it specifically to emphasize to young readers the dangers of driving. The book was first published in 1950 (the year I was born) and apparently at that time there were no driver's training classes taught in high school. After WWII a lot of young people turned to cars and souping them up as hot rods to get the thrill of racing down the highway at high speeds. This was also prevalent in the movies of the time such as
Rebel Without a Cause
starring James Dean. Hot Rod tells the story of Bud Crayne who works in a garage and lives for his souped up car that he built from pieces of other cars. Crayne was idolized by the young people in the town and bragged that he could drive to Trenton in a half hour. This was a thrill ride in the novel and one of its highlights. But this idolization also led to tragedy for some of the other young people in town as they tried to outdo Bud. The local highway patrol and school were trying to get kids to drive safely and to get drivers education taught in the school. But would they succeed and would Bud succumb to their wishes and learn to drive responsibly?
I didn't really remember the safety issues that were emphasized in the novel from when I first read this. But it really is a good book for young drivers to read to show what can happen from reckless driving. I enjoyed this second reading and the driving part was still thrilling after all these years. I wasn't really into auto mechanics in high school — probably because I didn't own a car. But I did take drivers ed when I was 15 and I remember some of the films shown during the class showing the results of dangerous and irresponsible driving. This was really a nostalgic read for me.
I didn't really remember the safety issues that were emphasized in the novel from when I first read this. But it really is a good book for young drivers to read to show what can happen from reckless driving. I enjoyed this second reading and the driving part was still thrilling after all these years. I wasn't really into auto mechanics in high school — probably because I didn't own a car. But I did take drivers ed when I was 15 and I remember some of the films shown during the class showing the results of dangerous and irresponsible driving. This was really a nostalgic read for me.
August 12, 2012
I read most of the car books that Felsen wrote when I was in junior high back in the '60s. I can only vaguely remember them these days but I know I enjoyed them and that was a good age to read them. They were simple stories of guys with their first cars but did contain good lessons on life and such as simple as they were. I would recommend them to boys in the junior high age frame.
June 25, 2012
Hot Rod is what made me want to be a writer. I'm not the only one. Stephen King, among others, has also cited the book and it's author Henry Gregor Felsen a major youth inspiration. . Though I'd forgotten most of the story (except the Signal 30 ending) I've thought of the book fondly for decades. I suppose today some do-good parents group would demand its withdrawal from the library due to violent content. Screw them. When the 60th aniversary edition was published with an intro by Felsen's daughter Holly FelsenWelch, I knew I had to get it. Holly really puts it together with her dad's bio, and family pictures. Felsen is the only writer I ever heard of who had an office downtown where he wrote everyday
I first read Hot Rod when I was in 7th grade. That sent me on a marathon of reading car books and Hot Rod Magazine,which for some reason was in my grade school library. I developed an ambition to be a race car driver, though a mechanic would do, but girls weren't allowed to be mechanics or drivers.
How I loved Bud Crayne. I was Bud Crayne. Reading through the adult lens, I really identify with him in ways I never thought about then. His car became his family.The whole orphan reconstruction thing is quite good.The run to Trendon is breathtaking and riveting.
OK, maybe this isn't the kind of book an adult should read for the first time, but it certainly resonated with me then and pretty much now. It also reminds me of why I hated high school. I admit I got a cheap thrill out of LaVerne's bad end. (Her name itself just reeks of bad ends), Served her right. but what choices did teenage girls in small towns have 60 years ago A boring young husband or dreams of Hollywood. The extended lecture on drivers' ed at the end is a bit much; ponderous, it drags down the narrative, but the rest of the story makes up for it. Whatever happened to America's love affair with the car? Do kids get hung up like cars today? I supposed if Bud were a kid today, he'd be a geek.
I'm going to give this a 5 star rating. It's a good story ,but more importantly, Felsen and the book have been so instrumental to writers of my generation Holly is to be congratulated for bringing it back. Hope she gets more reprinted.
I first read Hot Rod when I was in 7th grade. That sent me on a marathon of reading car books and Hot Rod Magazine,which for some reason was in my grade school library. I developed an ambition to be a race car driver, though a mechanic would do, but girls weren't allowed to be mechanics or drivers.
How I loved Bud Crayne. I was Bud Crayne. Reading through the adult lens, I really identify with him in ways I never thought about then. His car became his family.The whole orphan reconstruction thing is quite good.The run to Trendon is breathtaking and riveting.
OK, maybe this isn't the kind of book an adult should read for the first time, but it certainly resonated with me then and pretty much now. It also reminds me of why I hated high school. I admit I got a cheap thrill out of LaVerne's bad end. (Her name itself just reeks of bad ends), Served her right. but what choices did teenage girls in small towns have 60 years ago A boring young husband or dreams of Hollywood. The extended lecture on drivers' ed at the end is a bit much; ponderous, it drags down the narrative, but the rest of the story makes up for it. Whatever happened to America's love affair with the car? Do kids get hung up like cars today? I supposed if Bud were a kid today, he'd be a geek.
I'm going to give this a 5 star rating. It's a good story ,but more importantly, Felsen and the book have been so instrumental to writers of my generation Holly is to be congratulated for bringing it back. Hope she gets more reprinted.
November 9, 2012
My brother introduced this book to me in High School. I enjoyed it then and reread it about 20 years ago and enjoyed it then, but it did not have the impact on me then that it did when I was a high school student. I loved cars and working on cars then, and just like the main character I went on to study engineering in college because of this book. If I had it to do over again I think I would study business and open an auto repair business :) Great book that captures an era of Americana that is only partially captured in movies such as American Graffiti. I would recommend this book to any high school age young man that has an interest in cars, going fast, driving well and enjoys to read. It is an easy read and will capture their interest.
April 10, 2012
I probably read this 3 or 4 times back in the early 60's when I was in junior high school. It seemed like high drama and romance. My stars are based on my memory of it, I doubt reading it today would yield more than 3 stars. Well to be honest, I doubt I could be bothered with it today.
July 28, 2014
This book, originally published in 1950 is a gem and totally holds up over time. It might be a bit heavy handed in the teenager learns a lesson department; but, the writing is excellent and the descriptions of driving, racing and undertaking of a car project are compelling and interesting.
August 3, 2011
My thoughts on this book are influenced by the fact that I read it at age 15 about 40 years ago. I was living in a small rural community and really looking forward to getting my learners permit. Back then at that age it seemed like a great read. I even picked up a few driving techniques. );-]
For me it was the right book at the right time.
Reading it today would be a much different experience. Driving and cars are much more complicated.
For me it was the right book at the right time.
Reading it today would be a much different experience. Driving and cars are much more complicated.
February 2, 2014
This incredibly entertaining book was the first I ever read cover to cover in my reading career. I was in second grade and just could not put it down. I don't know for sure what made me remember it now, but just HAD to read it again. It hasn't changed but I have. Still, what a great read for young readers, especially for boys who would all be into hotrods if they know what they are!
January 26, 2015
A defining book of my youth
October 31, 2014
This book is horrible, but at the same time oh so good.
It's a strange combination of exploitation style pulp, morality plays and 'Blood on the Windshield' style drivers education films. The story itself and the writing is average or below formula pulp relying heavily on pop-culture and current slang in a sad attempt to make it relevant but the humor is greatly compounded if one realizes that much of the 'technical' info regarding the actual mechanics of autos is complete gibberish and from time to time the slang is used incorrectly.
Right from the start it becomes obvious this is a story with a moral regarding driving. After pages and pages of close calls, police and teacher intervention we get to the highlight, for me, of the book. A two page description of the aftermath of a grizzly wreck that is so gory and incongruent with the rest of the book that any impact it may have had is lost.
I think this book is a quick and enjoyable read for anyone with a love of old pulp, old hot-rod culture and the 1950s in general. I have noticed that the author seems to have written a long series of books that all look to be some form of morality play... one of which may be on masturbation; I feel a need to read them all and I bet you will too.
It's a strange combination of exploitation style pulp, morality plays and 'Blood on the Windshield' style drivers education films. The story itself and the writing is average or below formula pulp relying heavily on pop-culture and current slang in a sad attempt to make it relevant but the humor is greatly compounded if one realizes that much of the 'technical' info regarding the actual mechanics of autos is complete gibberish and from time to time the slang is used incorrectly.
Right from the start it becomes obvious this is a story with a moral regarding driving. After pages and pages of close calls, police and teacher intervention we get to the highlight, for me, of the book. A two page description of the aftermath of a grizzly wreck that is so gory and incongruent with the rest of the book that any impact it may have had is lost.
I think this book is a quick and enjoyable read for anyone with a love of old pulp, old hot-rod culture and the 1950s in general. I have noticed that the author seems to have written a long series of books that all look to be some form of morality play... one of which may be on masturbation; I feel a need to read them all and I bet you will too.
November 2, 2013
As a teenage boy in the 1950s, I was for a period of time addicted to the books of Henry Gregor Felson. Even then, I found the writing to be simplistic, cliche-ridden and not at all challenging. Even so, these tales of adolescent acting out, speed, and cars from the age of Blackboard Jungle, James Dean and Bye, Bye Birdie remain an important component in modern culture for me.
December 3, 2014
Felson was a literary safety nazi. His books on car culture are fictionalized lectures on his concept of automotive safety. I have no doubt he was in the crowd that wanted a national 55 MPH limit, mandatory auto insurance and the rest of the regulatory morrass involving automobiles and travel.
May 18, 2017
I enjoyed this book thoroughly when I read it at the age of 15, but it doesn't impress me as much now. It's still interesting and enjoyable, especially to motorheads, but it's now more of a time capsule than currently significant. Boys new to car-lust will enjoy it.
January 20, 2015
I read this book in jr. high school. One of only a hand full of books I read in school. Making up for it now - I read profusely now. Figured I'd read it once again.
March 24, 2018
This was a heart-pounding, surprisingly powerful cautionary novel about taking responsibility for your words and actions, and not letting yourself be peer pressured.
August 23, 2019
First read Hot Rod in high school in the early 50s. I don't remember, but it must have been a hardbound edition. Then one day a classmate told me that he had picked up the latest, Street Rod (hardbound) in the high school library and I waited anxiously for him to finish it so I could check it out. He told me in advance, 'the ending will shock you.' Fortunately, he did not give away the ending other than that.
Years passed. I have managed to purchase a very good original copy of the hardbound Street Rod, but so far only have a soft copy (the newest reprint) of Hot Rod. I have always wondered why no one has made a movie of Hot Rod. If they did, they would have to change the name to Hot Rod 1950 or something because someone recently made a movie and used that title and it had nothing to do with hot rod cars far as I know. Wasted a good title.
Then, after coming out with Hot Rod, at the end of the movie show the previews of the upcoming movie, Street Rod. Here is how I visualize the opening of the movie Hot Rod. Black screen, and as we hear the sound of a far away racing motor getting closer, the white letters on screen say..Iowa, 1950. Next screen, No wide low profile tires, no disc brakes, next screen, no seat belts, no speed limit. All the time the roar of the motor gets louder, then the black screen changes to an aerial view of Bud Crayne's rod from behind, rolling along a straight stretch as he takes his readings, as the camera moves in, passes the dual pipes blasting the road, then moves around and into the cab.
Years passed. I have managed to purchase a very good original copy of the hardbound Street Rod, but so far only have a soft copy (the newest reprint) of Hot Rod. I have always wondered why no one has made a movie of Hot Rod. If they did, they would have to change the name to Hot Rod 1950 or something because someone recently made a movie and used that title and it had nothing to do with hot rod cars far as I know. Wasted a good title.
Then, after coming out with Hot Rod, at the end of the movie show the previews of the upcoming movie, Street Rod. Here is how I visualize the opening of the movie Hot Rod. Black screen, and as we hear the sound of a far away racing motor getting closer, the white letters on screen say..Iowa, 1950. Next screen, No wide low profile tires, no disc brakes, next screen, no seat belts, no speed limit. All the time the roar of the motor gets louder, then the black screen changes to an aerial view of Bud Crayne's rod from behind, rolling along a straight stretch as he takes his readings, as the camera moves in, passes the dual pipes blasting the road, then moves around and into the cab.
April 1, 2020
This book was a milestone in both my youth and my reading career ... as I read it around 1958 or perhaps even earlier. I have been reading the Goodreads Reviews and they mirror almost exactly my own relationship with the book.
It would probably not be too cool in 2020, but I did get a chance to meet Mr. Felson at the time. Knowing how much I liked the book, my mom mentioned that she knew where he lived and wondered if I wanted to go by his house and meet him. That sounded like great fun so I kind of pestered her over it and one Saturday afternoon, off we went. He was polite and gracious and a little surprised to see us. I decided later that my mom had not known him before that encounter.
Oh well. You could do that sort of thing in the late 1950's in Iowa.
... And Mr. Felson, you deserved and still deserve the five stars.
It would probably not be too cool in 2020, but I did get a chance to meet Mr. Felson at the time. Knowing how much I liked the book, my mom mentioned that she knew where he lived and wondered if I wanted to go by his house and meet him. That sounded like great fun so I kind of pestered her over it and one Saturday afternoon, off we went. He was polite and gracious and a little surprised to see us. I decided later that my mom had not known him before that encounter.
Oh well. You could do that sort of thing in the late 1950's in Iowa.
... And Mr. Felson, you deserved and still deserve the five stars.
January 28, 2020
I gave this book 5 stars because I read it in 1957 as a 9 year old interested in hot rods, and learned how the first hot rodders made their old Fords go faster than stock and look cool. I've restored a couple of old cars with my own son--- 70s Dodges--- but am still interested in these original 50s hot rods and hope to own one exactly like the cover picture. Recommended for all ages Grade 4 reading level and up.
May 22, 2010
It's amazing the kind of dreck that used to pass for young adult fiction.
April 8, 2012
6th grade? 5th? Whenever it was, I'm certain I was the target demographic. Pretty formulaic.
October 13, 2012
It's a morality tale.
August 11, 2013
Loved it at the time (read it at age 12 or 13). Fun, but trite now.
September 11, 2014
I liked this book enought , it wasn't the best one . I read it in class
January 11, 2016
Hadn't read this since middle school. Found a copy at a thrift store. Interesting to read about the cultural differences from the 50s and now. People don't tune on their cars like this anymore.
Read
March 5, 2016paperback
December 18, 2019
I read this book as a teenager and enjoyed per my memory. An interesting period piece that speaks to teen angst.
April 12, 2020
This book was referenced in Stephen King’s Book sit when Ben Hanscom selects it while browsing books in Derry Children’s Library in 1958. Posting this for the reference nerds.
September 24, 2025
This book is horrible, but at the same time oh so good.
It's a strange combination of exploitation style pulp, morality plays and 'Blood on the Windshield' style drivers education films. The story itself and the writing is average or below formula pulp relying heavily on pop-culture and current slang in a sad attempt to make it relevant but the humor is greatly compounded if one realizes that much of the 'technical' info regarding the actual mechanics of autos is complete gibberish and from time to time the slang is used incorrectly.
Right from the start it becomes obvious this is a story with a moral regarding driving. After pages and pages of close calls, police and teacher intervention we get to the highlight, for me, of the book. A two page description of the aftermath of a grizzly wreck that is so gory and incongruent with the rest of the book that any impact it may have had is lost.
I think this book is a quick and enjoyable read for anyone with a love of old pulp, old hot-rod culture and the 1950s in general. I have noticed that the author seems to have written a long series of books that all look to be some form of morality play... one of which may be on masturbation; I feel a need to read them all and I bet you will too.
It's a strange combination of exploitation style pulp, morality plays and 'Blood on the Windshield' style drivers education films. The story itself and the writing is average or below formula pulp relying heavily on pop-culture and current slang in a sad attempt to make it relevant but the humor is greatly compounded if one realizes that much of the 'technical' info regarding the actual mechanics of autos is complete gibberish and from time to time the slang is used incorrectly.
Right from the start it becomes obvious this is a story with a moral regarding driving. After pages and pages of close calls, police and teacher intervention we get to the highlight, for me, of the book. A two page description of the aftermath of a grizzly wreck that is so gory and incongruent with the rest of the book that any impact it may have had is lost.
I think this book is a quick and enjoyable read for anyone with a love of old pulp, old hot-rod culture and the 1950s in general. I have noticed that the author seems to have written a long series of books that all look to be some form of morality play... one of which may be on masturbation; I feel a need to read them all and I bet you will too.
December 22, 2025
Hot Rod was the book of choice when I was in Junior HS.
Our school library had multiple copies and it still had to be reserved!
Anyway, this was a teen morality tale dressed up in a leather jacket and a fast car that fascinated my classmates and I.
I must have read it five or six times over 60 years ago.
Our school library had multiple copies and it still had to be reserved!
Anyway, this was a teen morality tale dressed up in a leather jacket and a fast car that fascinated my classmates and I.
I must have read it five or six times over 60 years ago.
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