Driving Lessons - by Christopher B Strain (Paperback)

About the Book

In Driving Lessons, historian Christopher B. Strain embarks on a cross-country journey in a vintage Volkswagen Bus, weaving memoir with literary analysis to explore the enduring allure of the American road trip. Blending personal reflection with deep dives into travel literature, Strain examines how stories of movement, escape, and discovery have shaped national identity and individual transformation. This compelling narrative invites readers to consider the road not just as a place, but as a metaphor for freedom, reinvention, and the American experience.

Book Synopsis

Weaves the author's own four-month cross-country sojourn in a VW van with thoughts on travel narratives across the history of American literature

In Driving Lessons, Christopher B. Strain sets out on a quintessential American road trip, exploring not just the roads and byways of the country but the road trip's place in American culture. Strain dives into the well of American travel writing, illuminating fascinating aspects of the road trip, such as how race, class, and gender shape the experiences of road trippers.

In the summer of 1998, amid a professional crisis of confidence, Strain settled on a plan to reconnect with both himself and the country he studies. He purchased a 1972 Volkswagen Westfalia van and set off on his own cross-country odyssey. In the weeks that followed, he ruminated on his own ongoing journey alongside great journeys from the past and how they reveal the heart of the traveler as well as the landscape of the nation.

Visiting archives and landmarks across the United States, Strain's journey became a parallel to the stories he studied--an opportunity to see and experience the cities, national parks, and monuments that define US history. Driving Lessons is a compelling blend of literary analysis and memoir, offering readers an insightful and heartfelt reflection on the enduring power of the American road trip.

Review Quotes

"Driving Lessons doesn't teach you how to drive in America, but it teaches far more valuable truths about why." --Steve Estes, author of Surfing the South

"Strain's musings about mobility and America, inspired by reminiscences of his road trip, are thoughtful and inspiring for others who think about what 'America' means and what it means to travel." --Susan L. Roberson, author of Antebellum American Women Writers and the Road: American Mobilities

About the Author