Are We There Yet? Lib/E: The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless

by Dan Albert

Now that self-driving cars have finally arrived, n+1’s car critic asks, what’s to become of us?

In recent years, tech companies have been teaching robots to drive. Those who would sell us self-driving cars promise that they will reduce pollution, eliminate traffic, and prevent countless injuries and deaths. But even if robots turn into responsible drivers, are we ready to become a nation of passengers?

In Are We There Yet?, Dan Albert combines historical scholarship and personal narrative to explore how car culture has suffused America’s DNA. It was the plain, old-fashioned, human-driven car that built the American economy, won our wars, and shaped our democratic creed as it moved us about. Drivers’ ed made teenagers into citizens; auto repair made boys into men.

Are We There Yet? takes us from muddy tracks to superhighways, from horseless buggies to driverless electric vehicles. Like any good road trip, it’s an adventure so fun you don’t even notice how much you’ve learned along the way.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Urbanism, Science, Transport, Cars, Technology

Audio CD

Published March 31, 2020

About the author

Dan Albert holds a PhD in history from the University of Michigan. He writes about the past, present, and future of cars for n + 1 magazine.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

"Lord, Mr. Ford, I just wish that you could see -
what your simple 'horseless carriage' has become,
Well, it seems your contribution to man -
to say the least, has gotten a little out of hand . . ."
-- singer/songwriter Jerry Reed

Albert's Are We There Yet? is best when it simply sticks to the historical overview aspect of the motor vehicle in the U.S. - the early personalities (such as Henry Ford and Alfred Sloan) and companies of the industry, the ever-changing and increasing safety features, the development of the Interstate Highway System, the two oil crises during the 70's, and the CB radio craze. The author's personal anecdotes / experiences - about his old pickup truck, teaching his teen daughter to drive, and selling a sedan to a college student - were not quite as interesting, and didn't fully mesh with the previous topics. Also, his political beliefs or bias (which usually cropped up via occasional attempts at humor or just full-on potshots) quickly became annoying and likely will rankle some of the audience.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good popular history of the automobile. The personalities involved: Ford, DuPont, Durant, Sloan are well covered as are the technology and market changes. The electric vehicle revolution is not new, it just was stymied by the invention of the electric starter for ICE autos. Highly recommended for gearheads and advocates of open streets.

[carl theaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made it to page 84 and ran out of gas.

For me this book had a lot going for it: fun title, automotive history as the subject, the author was educated in the Michigan, home of the US auto industry. There were good stories and info, however the author is also a contributing auto columnist to a New York literary blog. Ahh, and to please those literary folks in New York, you are not allowed to like anything too much, the tone is something like this:

You love Chevys? I do too, but did you know their upholstery is made from stolen baby blankets ?

The book feels like a collection of his blogs. The problem with that is the witty disdain is probably endurable in a column, however it gets old quickly in the longer book form. Once started, I will usually finish a book out of stubbornness, but in my accumulated wisdom I thought, hey a lot more fun stuff to read out there. I hope you have better luck with it should you give it a try.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself laughing aloud more often than I thought I would for a book about cars. The histories of the automotive industry, drivers, laws, and the concerns of the day were fun. Albert speeds us along that interstate with ease. The future of cars is wrapped up nicely in the Kids Today chapter -- with the dwindling "pure experience of driving" and the looming most luxurious car: the "car they'll neither own nor drive."

[Kevin Schafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history of the automobile in America. I am struggling to place my exact issue with this book. The author does yeoman's work following the mechanical and corporate history of Detroit manufacturers but seems to fail to grasp the larger impact of the automobile in America and the legal/cultural decisions that led to the car's dominance.

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good history on how the automobile evolved over 100 years, and what car manufacters did to stay ahead of the curve, and to make progress. However the author clearly has biases towards individuals and politicians which he makes clear, and is unnecessary in this read. Also, the author spends to much time in this book talking about his experiences with cars, and his opinions about what car manufacters were doing. It comes off like a memior in some spots, and takes away from what could have been a better book. Hence the three star rating.

[Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on the automobile ever! Going back to the horse and buggy to modern day this book tells everything you want to know. A lot of info about our electric cars and driverless cars and future cars you have to read. Memo: You can't have a driverless car without people. True?

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!

[Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not an infomercial on which brand of cars to buy. It's an in-depth review of motor history and culture.

The writing is classy and witty, and the narrative parts of the book holds consistently strong. This was surprising. I came for the info as well as the prediction of driverless cars in America, and I stayed for the stories. His pleb to carhood origin story, his daughter's first drive story, the tragic story of airbags gathered from police documents, and the like.

Warning: There are a few broken similes that got under my skin, e.g. "The 1975 BMW 2002 looks like the Mona Lisa wearing braces." It's an incompetent simile because Lisa's smile is closed. For all we know, she IS wearing braces! (If it wasn't for the time period).

Seems like a minor offense, but these cracked similes build up a bit as you read. Otherwise, well, you know. 8 out of 10 stars. Would give 9 if possible. Quite enlightening.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually I listened to an audio book but, not on a CD. I liked hearing about the early history of automobiles and particularly Henry Ford. And I also liked hearing about cars that could be called the first car. Hearing about steam cars and early electric cars was interesting.

I like that Are we there yet talks about the movement to make cars safter, the gas crisis in the 1970's, he talks about autonomous cars, he also talks about repairing cars and how its getting harder. But, my favorite was as I said learning about the people who first started the car companies in the late 19th and early 20th century.

One thing I learned that I did not know was that Nixon banned the sale of gas on Sunday. I think I have that right.

I thought are we there yet was a history of the car that talks about a lot of different issues involving cars over the years.

[JL Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway some time ago and due to life getting in the way I am just now reviewing it. For that I apologize to the author, Dan Albert. This is a great book if you like history and/or are a car aficionado. I found it to be an enjoyable read and Mr. Albert made it educational and entertaining. The history that he relates concerning our automobiles and how they have impacted us is enlightening. Automobiles have impacted almost every segment of our society to one degree or another. The author relates to the reader history, statistics and many anecdotes concerning automobiles past, present and future. This book is well worth reading!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert, a car guy and historian, writes a tongue-in-cheek history of the automobile as self-driving cars draw closer to reality. Not surprising that many of the projected benefits of self-driving cars are similar to those used to promote cars way back in the beginning. Albert explores all aspects of our relationship with cars and, in the end, laments what robo-cars will mean: the end of the love affair. Lots of fun and educational.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a dense book, but I definitely feel like I walked away with a much better grasp on the past, present, and future of cars. I liked reading the facts about cars today. I feel like this would especially be appreciated by people who actively like and work on cars.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the conversational style, which made the history of automobiles entertaining
Wish the chapters had been either shorter, or in sections/segments
Great read!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and very readable but he let his obvious liberal bias shine through too often.

[Rayfes Mondal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interseting history but the book was a bit scattered in the topics covered and I wish the author had more of engineering background

[Tim Timberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two parts history and one part memoir, with the common threads of car safety and autonomous cars weaved throughout. I will look for more writing by Dr. Albert.

[Charles Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chapters in this book cover a wide variety of auto-related topics. Some I found interesting, some I didn't. On the whole, I liked it.

[Jim Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good history of America’s love of cars. The author is a college professor but writes a very personal and sometimes very funny book. Well recommended

[Julie Bergley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great look at the history of the car and potential future. I had no idea that electric vehicles have existed nearly as long as cars have been mass produced. That's amazing!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting look at the history and culture of automobiles.

[Morgan Gariepy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half was an interesting history of the automobile. Unfortunately, the second half was largely filled with the author reminiscing. It was rambling.

[Lloyd Mosemann]

Very well written in an extremely entertaining way. If people like Mr. Albert could write our algebra and science books, we could retain a much higher percentage of wayward students

[Mick Gaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an informative, witty book

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Are we there yet? I mean, at the end of the book? Because it’s not fun. Oh, sure, the author is trying to make it fun, but….there’s such a thing as trying too hard. When I picked this up, I was sold on the premise of a narrative history of American motoring which would end with a look at the prospects of autonomous vehicles. Just as in a tired, hungry mood I can be sold on a drive through burger and fries as a filling meal, though, once I finished this I was left feeling unsatisfied and annoyed at having spent money on it. At least in my case it was gift card money!

So, what’s the problem with Are We There Yet? Well, imagine being in a car listening to someone talk non-stop, someone who is so frequently distracted that they’re constantly veering into the other lane or threatening to sail into a ditch. Albert is constantly wandering off to yak about Freudian psychology, or Marxist economics, or working in as many pop cultures jokes as he can so the book will be painfully dated in a couple of years. We return to the road, moving in the expected path, from Ford to Volkswagens and Nissans and so on — but the distractions come again and again – and our distracted driver keeps jumping ahead to talk about autonomous cars, long before their time has come, and by the time the book reaches the autonomous cars section, it’s so general that there’s no real content to be had.

I read this wincing, grimacing, and sighing – and I say this as someone who loves reading about transportation history. Trains, canals, planes, the interstates, automobiles, horses, bicycles – if it moves, I’ll follow it and read a book about it! But Are We There Yet made me as bored and impatient as the child whose eternally-repeating question gave it a title. A lot of its content was as sloppy as it was irrelevant, and I was astonished to read on the back cover that the author holds a PhD in history. I’d assumed he was a car guy pretending to be an historian. I’m fairly certain I learned more about cars from Driving with the Devil, a book about Prohibition and NASCAR, than this.

Although there are useful bits of history here about the technical revolution of cars, it’s a safe bet there are better books out there – presumably the Smithsonian’s Drive: The Definitive History of Driving, or Steve Parissien’s The Life of the Automobile would serve the curious. And there are at least three books just about autonomous cars to consider beyond this one.

[Melinda M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are We There Yet?: The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless by Dan Albert is a history of the car and how it evolved over the century and some. It includes the personalities involved: Ford, DuPont,etc. which makes the story interesting to those who like history,culture but may not know or care about automobiles. Dan Albert includes some of his own experiences with cars, and his opinions about what car manufacturers were doing. This gives the story a link to a person which may help the non-automobile enthusiast. It is a good history of the car.

I won copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Steven Beningo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book - but some of the information about the early days of the automobile could have been condensed.