The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Garbology explores
the hidden and costly wonders of our buy-it-now, get-it-today world of
transportation, revealing the surprising truths, mounting challenges,
and logistical magic behind every trip we take and every click we make.
Transportation dominates our daily existence. Thousands, even millions,
of miles are embedded in everything we do and touch. We live in a
door-to-door universe that works so well most Americans are scarcely
aware of it. The grand ballet in which we move ourselves and our stuff
is equivalent to building the Great Pyramid, the Hoover Dam, and the
Empire State Building all in a day. Every day. And yet, in the one
highly visible part of the transportation world--the part we drive--we
suffer grinding commutes, a violent death every fifteen minutes, a dire
injury every twelve seconds, and crumbling infrastructure.
Now, the way we move ourselves and our stuff is on the brink of great
change, as a new mobility revolution upends the car culture that, for
better and worse, built modern America. This unfolding revolution will
disrupt lives and global trade, transforming our commutes, our vehicles,
our cities, our jobs, and every aspect of culture, commerce, and the
environment. We are, quite literally, at a fork in the road, though
whether it will lead us to Carmageddon or Carmaheaven has yet to be
determined.
Using interviews, data and deep exploration of the hidden world of
ports, traffic control centers, and the research labs defining our
transportation future, acclaimed journalist Edward Humes breaks down the
complex movements of humans, goods, and machines as never before, from
increasingly car-less citizens to the distance UPS goes to deliver a
leopard-printed phone case. Tracking one day in the life of his family
in Southern California, Humes uses their commutes, traffic jams, grocery
stops, and online shopping excursions as a springboard to explore the
paradoxes and challenges inherent in our system. He ultimately makes
clear that transportation is one of the few big things we can
change--our personal choices do have a profound impact, and that fork in
the road is coming up fast.
Door to Door is a fascinating detective story, investigating the
worldwide cast of supporting characters and technologies that have
enabled us to move from here to there--past, present, and future.
