Getting there

by Stephen B. Goddard

It's rush hour in America. Lane upon lane of white-knuckled commuters inch their way downtown, burning gas that really costs them an extra $2.25 a gallon beyond what they pay at the pump, to park in spaces that rent for $150 a month. A stone's throw away, waist-high weeds obscure rusted rials that once sped most people to work without gridlock, air pollution, or parking fees. How did America go off the track? Why is it the only leading country to spend more to move vehicles than to move people and goods? In this panoramic epic, presented through the eyes of people who lived it, Stephen B. Goddard reveals how the United States became an autocentric society, what this has done to its culture, and why it may lose out in the world marketplace unless it changes course. Getting There is a human saga of opportunity, greed, high ideals, raw ambition, and heartbreak, told with wit and excitement. Beginning with the glory days of American railroads, Goddard discloses why the robber barons led th