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Americans love their cars. But why? When did cars become so wrapped up in the idea of American identity that we can\u2019t pull ourselves away from them, knowing full well that they\u2019re expensive, emissions-spewing death machines? Why are we so wedded to the idea of cars that we\u2019re now developing all-electric and driverless cars instead of investing in mass transportation? To answer some of these questions, we\u2019re joined this episode by Dan Albert, who writes about the past, present, and future of cars, from Henry Ford\u2019s dirt-cheap and democratic Model T to the predicted death of the automobile in the 1970s\u2014and again, today.

Go beyond the episode:

• Dan Albert\u2019s Are We There Yet?
• In our summer issue, Steve Lagerfeld mourns what wonders might be lost with the end of driving
• For more on how highways made modern America, read Albert\u2019s essay \u201cThe Highway and the City\u201d
• Julie Beck reports on the decline of driving (and driver\u2019s licenses)
• An academic analysis of how different modes of transport shape urban travel patterns
• For a deeper look at Tesla and Uber, Albert recommends Edward Niedermeyer\u2019s Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors and Mike Isaac\u2019s Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber
• More on how cars shape the way we view the world from Gijs Mom, and how driverless cars might change the world from Samuel Schwartz
• TimeOut ranks the 50 best road trip songs of all time (though we would have added Gary Numan\u2019s \u201cCars\u201d)

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek. Follow us on Twitter @TheAmScho or on Facebook.

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Have suggestions for projects you\u2019d like us to catch up on, or writers you want to hear from? Send us a note: podcast [at] theamericanscholar [dot] org. And rate us on iTunes! Our theme music was composed by Nathan Prillaman.

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