This is the epic saga of the American automobile industry's rise and demise, a compelling story of hubris, missed opportunities, and self-inflicted wounds that culminates with the president of the United States ushering two of Detroit's Big Three car companies--once proud symbols of prosperity--through bankruptcy. With unprecedented access, Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Ingrassia takes us from factory floors to small-town dealerships to Detroit's boardrooms to the White House. Ingrassia answers the big questions: Was Detroit's self-destruction inevitable? Why did Japanese automakers manage American workers better than the American companies themselves did? Complete with a new Afterword providing fresh insights into the continuing upheaval in the auto industry--the travails of Toyota, the revolving-door management and IPO at General Motors, the unexpected progress at Chrysler, and the Obama administration's stake in Detroit's recovery--Crash Course addresses a critical question: America bailed out GM, but who will bail out America?

With an updated Afterword by the author

Praise for Crash Course

"In order to understand just how much of a mess it was--not to mention how it got that way and how, if at all, it can be cleaned up--you really need to read Crash Course."--The Washinton Post

"Ingrassia tells Detroit's story with economy, vigour and restrained fury."--The Economist

"A delightful mix of history and first-person reporting . . . Employing superb storytelling skills, Ingrassia explains in head-shaking detail the elements of a wholly avoidable collision."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)