Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on sources that include interviews, government documents, patents, sociological and psychological studies, magazines, monographs, scholarly periodicals, film, fiction, and digital gaming, Heitmann and Morales tell a story that highlights both human creativity and some of the paradoxes of American life.
Trade ReviewThis volume tells a social and cultural history of auto theft -- honest -- and it does so remarkably well. -- James Donnelly Hemmings Motor News Stealing Cars; Technology & Society from the Model T to the Gran Torino provides a fine study of auto theft and culture, and examines a range of topics to include motives, methods, and more. Studies of transportation issues have typically focused on auto manufacturing history, so it's refreshing to see a treatment that considers users and the automobile's role in American life. -- James A Cox The Midwest Book Review Stealing Cars fills a lacuna in the historical literature on the automobile. Thus, this is a thoughtful, useful study. -- Jeffrey S. Adler Michigan Historical Review Full of good history and excellent research... Heitmann and Morales mix in just enough psychology, sociology, and talk of morals, sex, and love of speed to make the work educational but not didactic. All auto enthusiasts should get this book. Highly recommended. Choice Heitmann and Morales have added to a better and broader understanding of both crime and the automobile in American life and have pointed to other fruitful avenues for exploration. -- Kathleen Franz American Historical Review A well-written and well-conceived introduction to an important aspect of modern automobility. Novices drawn to the topic will disocver many rich investigative opporutnities; more seasoned automotive academics can synthesize these observations into the growing field of "user" studies. -- David Blanke The Journal of American History It is easy to recommend this book to readers, from historians and professionals interested in automobile topics to a general audience looking for a good read. Technology and Society
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction: Park at Your Own Risk
1. "Stop, Thief!"
2. Juvenile Delinquents, Hardened Criminals, and Some Ineffectual Technological Solutions (1941–1980)
3. From the Personal Garage to the Surveillance Society
4. Car Theft in the Electronic and Digital Age (1970s–Present)
5. Mexico, the United States, and International Auto Theft
6. The Recent Past
Conclusion: Stealing the American Dream
Appendix: Tables Summarizing Various U.S. Automobile Theft Crime Reports and Surveys, 1924–2010
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index
