Customer Reviews

Women at the Wheel: 42 Stories of Freedom, Fanbelts and the Lure of the Open Road

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This book is fabulous. It's peculiar that women still tend to be overlooked as "car people," as I had no problem coming up with a half dozen car-centric female friends and family members to give this book to for birthdays and holidays. From the friend who takes pride at keeping her '81 Corolla limping along, to the retired Mom of my closest friend who bought a snazzy new Honda as a retirement present for herself to my own Mom who is a car-buying-research goddess. All have thoroughly enjoyed this book (as have the Y-chromosomed who've read it)!

Highly recommended, well-written, and top-notch photographs.

It may have started when women got the vote, but when women form adoring, nutty and intimate relationships with their true liberator (their CAR!) you're really seeing freedom in action. Women at the Wheel is a love story and an exhilarating ride.

The stories in this book are well written and highlight the strength and creativity that all women posses. I love the way the cars reflect all the best qualities of their owners, especially the when the cars are used to achieve a higher level of freedom. Overall, this is a very inspiring book.

Full disclosure time: I am a friend of the author and I helped her and encouraged her to pursue the book project. None the less, I have read the book, and being as objective as I can, I find it engaging and really well realized. Ms. Root has no agenda and no subtext; the book honestly presents the results of exploring an interesting group of people. While being exposed to sociological aspects of women and car culture, one is more interested in the individual women profiled in the book. The photography is excellent, and the reproduction generally quite good. Ms. Root's portrait skills are amply demonstrated in image after image where real personality comes through plainly, confirmed and supported by the text. This is superior to many 'theme' photography books, and a wonderful antidote to those that treat women as only decorations for cars. As a man I enjoyed it; I imagine some young women will be inspired by it.