Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile
Sarah Goodyear · Doug Gordon · Aaron Naparstek
Oct 2025 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon
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4 reviews
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7 hr 37 min
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back
When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; yet a hundred years later, that dream is running on empty.
Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world. Globally, SUVs alone now emit more carbon than the nations of Germany, South Korea, or Japan.
That’s why we need Life After Cars. Through historical records, revealing interviews, and unflinching statistics, Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, hosts of the podcast The War on Cars, and former host Aaron Naparstek unpack the scale of damage that cars cause, the forces that have created our current crisis and are invested in perpetuating it, and the way that the fight for better transportation is deeply linked to the fight for a more equitable and just society.
Cars as we know them today are unsustainable—but there is hope. Life After Cars will arm readers with the tools they need to implement real, transformative change, from simply raising awareness to taking a stand at public forums. It’s past time to radically rethink—and shrink—society’s collective relationship with the automobile. Together, let’s create a better Life After Cars.
From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back
When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; yet a hundred years later, that dream is running on empty.
Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world. Globally, SUVs alone now emit more carbon than the nations of Germany, South Korea, or Japan.
That’s why we need Life After Cars. Through historical records, revealing interviews, and unflinching statistics, Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon, hosts of the podcast The War on Cars, and former host Aaron Naparstek unpack the scale of damage that cars cause, the forces that have created our current crisis and are invested in perpetuating it, and the way that the fight for better transportation is deeply linked to the fight for a more equitable and just society.
Cars as we know them today are unsustainable—but there is hope. Life After Cars will arm readers with the tools they need to implement real, transformative change, from simply raising awareness to taking a stand at public forums. It’s past time to radically rethink—and shrink—society’s collective relationship with the automobile. Together, let’s create a better Life After Cars.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the hosts of The War on Cars podcast, a searing indictment of how cars ruin everything—and what we can do to fight back
When the very first cars rolled off production lines, they were a technological marvel, predicted to make life easier and better for all Americans; ye...
Ratings and reviews
4 reviews
lorcan garrett
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February 16, 2026
Generally good laying out all the arguments against cars in cities and urban spaces, which I'm a big advocate of. I thought some of the social commentary was a bit counterproductive though; a bad argument for is an argument against. For instance, bringing up the murder of George Floyd as it happened next to a police car. I thought that jumped the shark a bit. In a car centric society it's like arguing against beaches because that's where most shark attacks happen.
Genevieve Cory
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November 12, 2025
Clear, concise, inspirational: it's a cycle. Two steps forward, one step back. Find your people. It doesn't have to be this way!
GingerDr
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January 22, 2026
A most insightful and enjoyable listen
About the author
Sarah Goodyear is a journalist and author who has covered cities and transportation for publications such as Grist, CityLab, and Streetsblog. Doug Gordon is a TV producer and writer who is also a neighborhood safe streets advocate better known online as Brooklyn Spoke. Aaron Naparstek is the founding editor of Streetsblog, a news site that launched in 2006 and is dedicated to what was then called New York’s “livable streets” renaissance. They live with their families in Brooklyn, and they came together to create The War on Cars podcast in 2018 out of a sense that no one was covering the subject of cars and what they do to culture, society, and the planet in the way they felt it deserved. Doug and Sarah continue to host the podcast.
Sarah Goodyear is a journalist and author who has covered cities and transportation for publications such as Grist, CityLab, and Streetsblog. Doug Gordon is a TV producer and writer who is also a neighborhood safe streets advocate better known online as Brooklyn Spoke. Aaron Naparstek is the foun...
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