Car Crash Culture

A morbidly fascinating and articulate collection of essays, this book explores the grim underside of America’s cult of the automobile and the disturbing, frequently conspiratorial, speculations that arise whenever the car becomes the cause or the site of human death. Through analysis of fatal celebrity car accidents and other examples of death-by-automobile, as well as through personal memoir and forensic reports, cultural critics ponder our very human fascination with the car crash. Topics include the roles and experiences of passengers and bystanders, car crash conspiracy theories, the automobile as a site of murder, studies of car crash cinema, and psychological interpretations of the notion of the “accident”. The book features original essays by such underground icons as Kenneth Anger and Adam Parfrey.Among general readers, this book should appeal to fans of J.G. Ballard and David Cronenberg, and to readers interested in conspiracy theory, apocalypse culture, science fiction, underground culture, and secret histories. JFK assassination buffs should enjoy the essay on the presidential limo.