Auto Biography, Earl Swift
Auto Biography, Earl Swift
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Auto Biography
A Classic Car, an Outlaw Motorhead, and 57 Years of the American Dream

Author: Earl Swift

Narrator: Greg Itzin

Unabridged: 12 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/06/2014

Synopsis

A brilliant blend of Shop Class as Soulcraft and The Orchid Thief, Earl Swift’s wise, funny, and captivating Auto Biography follows an outlaw-genius auto mechanic as he painstakingly attempts to restores a classic 1957 Chevy to its former glory—all while the FBI and local law enforcement close in.To Tommy Arney, the old cars at Moyock Muscle are archeological artifacts, twentieth-century fossils that represent a place and a people utterly devoted to the automobile and transformed by it. But to his rural North Carolina town, they’re not history; they’re junk. When Tommy acquires a rusted out wreck of an old Chevy and promises to return it to a shiny, chromed work of American art, he sees one last chance to salvage his respect, keep himself out of jail, and save his business. But for this folk hero who is often on the wrong side of the law, the odds of success are long, especially when the FBI, local authorities, and the bank are closing in.Written for motor heads and automotive novices alike, Auto biography interweaves this improbable hero’s journey with the story of one iconic car to chart the rise, fall, and rebirth of the American Dream. Told in words and eight pages of photos, this wise, charming, and heartbreaking true story is an indelible portrait of a man, a machine, and a nation on the road from a glorious past into an unknown future.

About Earl Swift

Earl Swift is the author of the New York Times bestseller Chesapeake Requiem, which was named to ten best-of-the-year lists. His other books include Hell Put to Shame, Across the Airless Wilds, Auto Biography, The Big Roads, and Where They Lay. A former reporter for the Virginian-Pilot and a contributor to Outside and other publications, he is a fellow of Virginia Humanities at the University of Virginia. He lives in the Blue Ridge mountains west of Charlottesville.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrea on November 02, 2014

I never thought I would be so interested in a book about cars, but Swift is always able to spin his tales in such in an engaging way. In particular, I enjoyed the colorful dialogue and descriptions that made Tommy Arney and his band of merry men come alive on the pages.......more

Goodreads review by Jay on April 26, 2014

When I saw the description of Auto Biography, I thought it would be something like an American Chopper episode, but with car restoration. There is a little of that kind of feel, but not until the second half of the book. The first half starts with an interesting idea – tracing the ownership of a 57......more

Goodreads review by Harvey on August 22, 2015

Very entertaining book. Combines elements of fiction and non-fiction in a way that give you an idea of what can happen in the lifetime of a car and various people who own it. The language is very colorful in regards to some characters, and may be objectionable to some, but in reality it's accurate fo......more

Goodreads review by Timothy on May 28, 2023

I wanted something different to listen to as I drove to work, different from the usual memoirs and biographies of famous writers or Jewish families. I love a bit of contemporary history, especially history that I can touch easily in my own memory banks and this memoir of the 1957 Chevy, the American......more

Goodreads review by Studebhawk on August 24, 2018

An Ode to a Man and a Machine Auto Biography is a wonderful portrait of Tom Armey, the man and his time. This story draws you in with colorful characters, language, and funny stories. Buried in this well-done story we also have brilliant depictions of the state of the blue collar working class in o......more

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