On 10-3-97, ken@e-media.com posted this message to the San Francisco Bikes mailig lists (sf-critical-mass@cycling.org, sfbike@cycling.org):

I've just been advised about a book called "Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took over America and How We Can Take It Back" It's received glowing reviews from a number of people whose opinions I respect. Here are some online reviews plus the table of contents.

Reviews:
felicef@mit.edu, 06/08/97, rating=10:
A lively and literate case against the car. Vital to read.
The author, Jane Holtz Kay, architecture critic for The Nation tells the trials ("Car-Glut"); the history ("Car-Tracks") and the means ("Car-Free") to end auto-dependency. Appealing illustrations and a vivid text demonstrate how the servant has become the master of our lives and landscape. The rave reviews by Ray Bradbury, Jane Jacobs & others are true. The author proves her subtitle "How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take it back" in a compelling and engaging way.

Ryan S Park (ryan.park@m.cc.utah.edu), 07/05/97, rating=10:
America's Carculture Exposed
Who can imagine life without cars? Author Jane Holtz Kay recounts the history of the automobile starting from when it was a rare novelty at the beginning of this century. Back then, it promised a bright new future of freedom and mobility. Kay shows, however, how the servant became the master. As a new century approaches, we are increasingly stuck in traffic and only beginning to count the costs of accommodating cars at the expense of all else. You will be surprised to read about how far-reaching and profound the impacts of our auto-dependency are--and realize even more strongly the need for balance. Sparing no detail, Kay paints a sobering picture of mounting congestion, worsening pollution, and widening isolation caused by our heavy-handed grip on the steering wheel. She also portrays the prospect of a more sustainable future--one in which the car has its place but does not dominate our lives. You will learn about efforts in communities around the country that show how bringing about this balance dramatically improves quality of life. A must-read for all concerned with finding solutions to our transportation and social dilemmas!

Just for fun, I thought I'd throw this in (it's real):
ipr-phil@ix.netcom.com, 08/03/97, rating=1:
Here we go again -- another disgruntled "environmentalist" trying to lay a guilt trip on our goodlife society. Truth is, the automobile has made our society great, and virtually every argument expounded by writers like Kay can be disputed. For example, she calls 120 traffic deaths a day "carnage" on the road without putting the figure into any perspective (that total represents only 2 percent of daily deaths and less than one-twentieth of deaths due to heart disease alone.) Okay, we need to walk more, but don't try to saddle us with the notion that the car hasn't added greatly to America's quality of life. And about that highly debatable "global warming" thing, pu-lease! Let it go, Kay, we love our automobiles and they're cleaner and safer than ever.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Late Motor Age: A Defining Decade
Pt. I. Car Glut: A Nation in Lifelock

1. Bumper to Bumper
2. The Geography of Inequity
3. The Landscape of the Exit Ramp
4. The Road to Environmental Ruin
5. Harm to Health and Breath
6. The Cost of the Car Culture

Pt. II. Car Tracks: The Machine That Made the Land

7. Model T, Model City
8. From Front Porch to Front Seat
9. Driving Through the Depression
10. The Asphalt Exodus
11. Braking the Juggernaut
12. The Three-Car Culture

Pt. III. Car Free: From Dead End to Exit

13. None for the Road
14. Zoning for Life
15. Putting Transit on Track
16. The Centering of America
17. The De-Paving of America
18. Righting the Price

Notes
Bibliography
Index

If you're wondering what you can do to move things along, supporting this book seems like a good idea to me. It's a safe bet that the auto dealer-controlled TV news industry is not going to fall all over itself letting people know about it.

Tell your friends and colleagues too. The best way to see more books like this is to support the ones that exist.

If you're on a tight budget, let your local library know about it and ask them to order a copy for your community.