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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | OCTOBER 2019 | 19 Bingo Advisory After a long two months without Bingo our committee is looking forward to seeing all of you when Bingo resumes on Oct. 8. This is the second Tuesday in October. When we return we will have three pots each paying $500, our regular games each paying $200, and, of course, a few surprises! Come join the fun. Have questions? Call Anne at (951) 845-8700. I hope that everyone had a great summer including family and travels, and also some great books. Now that fall is beginning we are busy with preparing for the holidays. The Library Committee will hold a third book sale of the year on Nov. 1 from 9 am to 1 pm in the hardcover library. Hope to see you there! The Art of Racing in the Rain uses the backdrop of car culture and auto racing but is told through the eyes of the protagonist's (mechanic/racecar driver) golden retriever, Enzo. Let's consider the role automobiles have played in our lives and the number of books that also focus on cars in various manner. The 1940s were a blow-out time for car manufacturers in the US, but not necessarily for cars. From 1942 to 1945 commercial car production ceased and all manufacturers were switched over to war production; Roosevelt used the term, "Arsenal of Democracy." With men sent overseas to fight, women had to take over most mens' jobs. Raw materials like coal and steel were allocated to weapons. There were shortages of many items. But by 1946 returning soldiers were looking to get married and start families, buy homes, and enjoy the freedom that a car provided. Detroit was happy to satisfy demand. By the 1950s the car companies were producing new models and features which had been rare before became standard: V-8 engines, automatic transmissions, power steering and brakes, air conditioning. Cars were bigger, lower, more powerful. With more houses built in suburbs cars became more of a necessity; some families had two cars. The Interstates were started which further increased demand for cars. The baby boom was on! About four million babies were born per year. Consolidation occurred so that the "Big Three" sold 94 percent of cars in the U.S. One in six jobs were for making cars or affiliated industries/services. The 1960s were big business for GM, Ford, Chrysler but change was in the wind. Smaller imports became more popular – remember the "Beetle?" More power was a mantra and "muscle cars" were the rage. The 1970s were a shakeup; the oil embargo of 1973 and lines of cars waiting for gas? With pollution controls, performance suffered and quality was poor from Detroit companies. More people turned to imports. You may have noticed Toyota and Datsun for the first time. Stephen King, bemoaning problems he was having with his Ford Pinto in 1978, had the plot for "Christine" which featured an evil 1958 red and white Plymouth Fury. Amazingly cars showed up in literature right from the start: Remember the Model T in The Wind in the Willows published in 1908? I've mentioned On the Road (1957) before; so often cars, as part of stories, symbolize independence, status, or wealth. Ian Fleming of James Bond fame, after starting his family, wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a children's tale. And I particularly remember the role that the Weasley family's (flying) Ford Anglia played in the "Harry Potter" series. Have a great October! Library Advisory

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