The USA from a Chevrolet

In July 1965, an Artesian Turquoise Chevrolet caught the eye and the imagination of the author. Using the family car as a narrative thread, this work explores American history as experienced by the author. From Lyndon Johnson to George W Bush, from the automotive industry to fast food franchises, it chronicles American life since the mid - 1960s.

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In July 1965, an Artesian Turquoise Chevrolet Biscayne rolled off a General Motors assembly line. Little did James Ward know that this car would become a cherished member of his family, playing a role in his wedding, honeymoon, years of graduate school, birth of his daughter, and her wedding, among countless other memories. Four decades--and a lot of history--later, the author still drives this rolling historical artifact dubbed Phoebe.

Using the Biscayne as a narrative thread, this first-person account explores facets of American history the author and Phoebe experienced since the mid-1960s, such as a KKK cross-burning, a civil rights march, Hurricane Betsy, numerous local diners, motels, and parks, and interesting people and out-of-the-way places. Looking for remnants of their youth, they drove across back roads in twenty-first century America. Photographs accompany this unique memoir.