To My Son, The Teen-Age Driver (1964)
Henry Gregor Felsen
Bantam Books
Henry Felsen wrote several boy meets car novels for teen readers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most of them cautionary tales about the hazards of not respecting cars and the road. Here he gets most direct, writing a just over 100 page "open letter" to his teenage son about the wide world of cars. Felsen opens with a brief chapter of sentiment about watching his boy become a man (given the AC/DC-ish title: You, Who Are About to Drive). After that, "Dad" addresses all your likely assertions (oh teenage wiseacre) and demonstrates why you are an idiot and he is Dad. Don't be a careless driver, but don't be too careful. What would you do if a truck was coming straight at you? Be careful of rented U-Haul trailers--they are used by people unaccustomed to pulling a heavy load. Don't run from the police...ever! Much of it reads as if you are taking a driving test with your father, with you driving and him walking you through all the things that might kill you as you motor down Main St. Best advice of all, in a car and in life: "Don't make a bet you can't afford to lose."
