Auto Biography

Loved this book. While I am a car buff.....I'm also a lover of a good story and this book has plenty of both. The book follows the history of a 1957 Chevy Wagon and chronicles it's many owners over the history of the car. It also chronicles the final owner, where the car wound up at a Used Car lot. The owner of that lot and many other businesses and ventures is worthy of a book by himself......quite the character with a checkered past and history. The author Earl Swift does a wonderful job of weaving the tale of the car, it's owners and Tommy Arney....a guy who never walked away from a fight or an argument. A very entertaining and interesting read.

This book is for somebody who's a car person. Or, someone interested in post world War two American history. Or wants some context on how our fast economy and focus on marketing gave the Japanese a window to enter the market with quality. Or tangentially, how the automobile has helped shape American communities. Or for someone interested anecdotally in how cars can both reflect and influence who at are at times. interwoven with a story of a misfit is a tale about the various people who've possessed a car throughout generations, and how they are at once unique and united through a common love. I'm an easy target to be honest, I love cars and am interested in the other things I listed above. In fact, even before I heard of the book I've felt the particular model of car the story follows is the most beautiful in the world. But trying to be objective, the writer does a great job interweaving American stories that probably will stand as a great piece of journalism even if you don't care at all about cars.

Great story, and all about the area where I live. So Interesting - and funny too.

Auto Biography is a wonderful portrait of Tom Armey, the man and his time. This story draws you in with colorful characters, language, and funny stories. Buried in this well-done story we also have brilliant depictions of the state of the blue collar working class in our country. The accumulated toll of the factory closings, abandoned stores, and homes paints a picture of the decline of core central cities in our country. The despair is palpable as they suffer from bouts of unemployment, underemployment and the lack of hope. We know that these people decided an election. In a brilliant bit of dogged research and determination, he traces the story of an old 57 Chevy. The story is full of the hopes and dreams of all of the Chevy’s owners as the Chevy moves from various owners, declining condition to its final resting place in Tommy Armey's junkyard. In the end, when the Chevy is rebuilt, reborn in the junkyard, most of the old owners return for one last visit. But, at that end, Tommy’s past has caught up with him and now he has to pay for the price for his misdeeds. We can only hope that Tommy Armey can emerge, like the Chevy, reborn and reunited with his classic car.

This book is based on a really interesting idea, tracing the history of several People through the history of a car they all have owned or been involved with. It provides a lot of insight into cars, which is great for us car nuts, but also into the social history of the middle class as well as how people overcome or don't overcome the events of their lives. However it does go on a bit as one personal mini-biography follows another, it feels as if the writer is maybe sticking too much to a formula in order to stay authentic, so I started skipping some paragraphs after a while. However anyone who's got their hands dirty on old cars will enjly this read, recognize a lot and also learn something new.

It’s hard to believe that this is a true story, but in the end I do believe it. And I care about the protagonist still. Car guys will certainly enjoy it; real Americana.

I expected a great story after hearing the author at a book festival in my hometown. What blew me away is the quality of the writing. Mr. Swift has a gift for the turn of a phrase. I found myself reading section after section of the book out loud to my wife. For example, he describes how the rust is blasted from the Chevy "Tippit fires up the blaster's motor and gets to work on the firewall, the nozzle issuing a deafening whoosh when he's a foot from his target, a rising shriek as he pushes closer. The nozzle carves a surprisingly narrow path through the old green paint--roughly a quarter of an inch wide--so stripping requires a steady back-and-forth in short sweeps; you clear a block of two square inches, then another, and so on, so that your rate of progress is about equal to coloring a car with a crayon." Though I am the furthest thing from a motorhead, this book is riveting.

I really liked this book. I am a car guy. I have a 57 Chevy that I have owned for years. It has sentimental value and I have stored it for about 35 years. This book really makes me want to get it done. I have never read anything like this. And it is all true.

Brilliantly written: The '57 Chevy is not the only thing that is classic; this book is, too. It has been a long time since research, vocabulary and syntax have come together so well in a non-fiction piece. This is "Tigers in the Snow" for car aficionados. Swift's research is in depth--locating every one of the 13 owners of this vehicle since its build day. His blending of the car, its people, and their times make for a fascinating read--although, at times, a slower read. This is a book to be savored over time, ruminated over, discussed with others, and then read again, putting yourself into each time period. HIGHLY recommended.

Bought this book for my boyfriend and he absolutely loved it. The car is the prop for the story. Very interesting story and if you have a passion for something you would live this book. He'd love to get in touch with the author to ask more questions. Enjoy

Awesome book