Shortlisted for the Zócalo Book Prize

Named one of the best books of the year by The New Yorker and The New Republic

“Consistently entertaining and often downright funny.” —The New Yorker

“Wry and revelatory.” —The New York Times

"A romp, packed with tales of anger, violence, theft, lust, greed, political chicanery and transportation policy gone wrong . . . highly entertaining." —The Los Angeles Times

An entertaining, enlightening, and utterly original investigation into one of the most quietly influential forces in modern American life—the humble parking spot

Parking, quite literally, has a death grip on America: each year a shocking number of Americans kill one another over parking spots, and we routinely do ri­diculous things for parking, contorting our professional, social, and financial lives to get a spot. Since the advent of the car, we have deformed our cities in a Sisyphean quest for car storage, and as a result, much of the nation’s most valuable real estate is now devoted to empty vehicles. Parking determines the design of new buildings and the fate of old ones, traffic patterns and the viability of transit, neighborhood politics and municipal finance, and the overall quality of public space. Is this really the best use of our finite resources? Is parking really more important than everything else?
 
In a beguiling and absurdly hilarious mix of history, politics, and reportage, Slate staff writer Henry Grabar brilliantly surveys the nation’s parking crisis, revealing how the compulsion for car storage has exacerbated some of our most acute problems— from housing affordability to the accelerating global climate disaster—and, ultimately, how we can free our cities from park­ing’s cruel yoke. - (Findaway World Llc)

Library Journal Reviews

"Whoever said life was about the journey and not the destination never had to look for a place to park," journalist Grabar writes in this distinctive debut, where he expounds on the United States' parking puzzle, be it the impact on the environment and affordable housing or the bloody ice-cream truck rivalry that necessitated a New York City sting operation. Though parking spots have proven to be in oversupply time and again, many metropolises continue to sacrifice bus and bike lanes and better communities in the name of more spots. From keeping cattle off ancient Roman roads, to the pandemic that turned parking lots into outdoor eating areas, there has never been a time when parking wasn't a problem. Narrator Rob Shapiro presents this provocative analysis in a manner that is conversational and comprehensible. His casual, congenial tone turns the in-depth research and rich details into an approachable and entertaining listening experience. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking accessible, engaging nonfiction about a topic that shapes society's infrastructure and architecture much more than one may think. Recommended for fans of persuasive political writing presented as narrative nonfiction.—Lauren Hackert