Zack and Larry Arnstein's The Bad Driver's Handbook: Hundreds of Simple Maneuvers to Frustrate, Annoy, and Endanger Those Around You takes a common, everyday bugaboo and turns it on its ear. Their premise: that "good" driving is only a matter of perspective, that in fact there is liberation in intimidating pedestrians, eschewing use of turn signals, and even tailgating ("How Close Is Not Close Enough?"). The authors also take aim at typical entries in the DMV handbook, discuss ways to talk a police officer out of issuing a ticket, suggest dos and don'ts for successfully sleeping at the wheel, describe the many ways one might stop at a STOP sign, and much more. The book's last chapter provides a tongue-in-cheek "final exam." The humor here is in the recognition of our own challenges behind the wheel and the amazing folly we sometimes observe in others.
Martin Brady is a writer in Nashville.
