Imagining Transit ― Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles

In this thought-provoking book, Hutchinson, a sociologist, describes the history of Los Angeles' freeway, rail, and bus systems to show how transportation reflects racial and economic divisions in the city. The city's transportation and urban planning history is given with attention to social thought and mainstream values and the de-urbanizing impact of the automobile. The experience of black women in the city is examined in the works of writers that include Ann Petry and Toni Morrison. Racism and housing discrimination in South Central Los Angeles are described during and after WWII. The volume concludes with notes and bibliography, but is not indexed. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)