A little like multiple mini histories glued together., but a fun book. Interesting and full of weird trivia.

Gee willikers this is a fun book and blast to the past honoring the great family road trips of days gone by. Ratay and I are close in age, both the youngest of four kids and I felt kinship as he chronicles his family’s car trips in simpler times before electronics, google maps and seat belts.

Ratay has similar humor to one of my favorites, Bill Bryson. He intertwines personal experiences with interesting history of our highways and byways, beloved landmarks, and recognizes trailblazers and visionaries who were involved in building up our highway infrastructure. One of the most compelling historical bits surrounds Carl Fisher, a man who was involved in the construction of numerous high-profile projects. His rags to riches to rags story is fascinating.

Creative chapter titling like ‘Swerving through the Seventies’, ‘Packed in Like Sardines’, ‘Smokeys in the Bush’ made me chuckle. I engaged from the early pages and found myself nodding my head often in recognition of the author's experiences paralleling mine. Gosh, I appreciate those trips more now than I ever did at the time. Hopefully, Ratay’s words will propel his readers to give it a go (but don’t forget to put on your seatbelt!). Comfort and humor for the soul.

**Will post t0 online venues upon publication

After reading this book, I had to call my brother and reminisce about our family trips in a wood-paneled station wagon!

Don't Make Me Pull Over!: An Informal History of the Family Road Trip by Richard Ratay is a highly recommended look at the historical and personal aspects of family vacation roadtrips.

As late as 1975 four in five Americans had never traveled by plane, so how did families travel then (and earlier) for their vacations? By car, of course! Family vacation roads trips are legendary and most (large) families who experienced these treks have the stories and quotes to back up their claims. In Don't Make Me Pull Over! Ratay, who focuses on his family's road trips in the seventies, and covers: the history of the development of interstate highways; the beginning of road trips and those who pioneered driving cross country; maps; speed limits; radar detectors; CB radios; diversions along the way; eating on the road and drive-ins; gas stations; camping and motels; car styles and station wagons; seat belts and safety - to name a few topics.

Early family road trips, before portable DVD players, electronic games, etc, were an option, required a bit more work to entertain or keep the whole carload happy or at least content. My experience of family road trips started off earlier than Ratay's family trips. Of course many of us remember no ac or seat belts in cars and that it was the oil crisis of 1973 that started the 55 mph speed limit. And some of us had to learn to drive in a station wagon.

This is an imminently readable and enjoyable mix of history and personal recollections. Ratay does a nice job mixing light hearted nostalgia with the history and developments that the love of car trips encouraged. I appreciated the historical context along with the footnotes. Readers who have experience the family road trip will appreciate the historical context of many of the topics Ratay covers. It will also bring back some memories of road trips in your past. After you, perhaps, learn a historical fact or two, you will want to call family members and laugh about vacations in the past.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Scribner.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/06/dont-make-me-pull-over.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2440077019
https://www.librarything.com/work/21565539/reviews/157779616
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I will start out by saying, I loved this book! Now I have to be truthful and say I really chose this book by it cover and didn't pay too much attention to the synopsis. I thought it was more about the authors childhood road trips. It's actually the history of road travel with some of the authors childhood travel thrown in.

Who knew I would find a book about the history of road travel interesting. But I did and it's really fascinating. It was very readable and not dry at all. It took me back to a kid in the 60's and 70's and the family road trips we took.
I would highly recommend this book. It was a very pleasant surprise.

Thanks Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Sometimes you just have an inkling that a book will be that good before you read it. Ratay's travelogue cum history of American family road trips was an excellent read. I grew up during that same era so much of what he wrote about resonates with me: riding in the huge boat of a station wagon, riding in the back of a truck with a cap over it, waiting for a plastic animal to be spat out of a machine, the list is endless. Along the way, Ratay offers quick histories of many things associated with road travel. The author's personal family vacation snippets were humorous. It brought many memories for me. Plus the right hand whipping around from the front seat in search of a dodging child is an epic image.

Memorable, funny, and engrossing history of family road trips. Brought back a lot of found memories. Well written!

Thank you Net Galley and Scribner for allowing me to have an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This book was so much more, and also different, than I'd expected. I am a child of road trips. My fondest memories are of our trips along Route 66 in the 70s. Priceless. This book was the author's family memories and antics. They had similar experiences to ours, and I loved reliving them. The author surprised me by adding information on the history of some well known road stops, motels, restaurants, etc. Super fun information! I lightly recommend this book!

Any nostalgic-type book which brings back fond memories of childhood is a sure winner these days. When a book evokes special memories, eliciting waves of laughter (the kind with tears running down your face), even better! Richard Ratay has done just that in his debut book Don't Make Pull Over!.

Richard Ratay’s personal (and hilarious) family travel experiences, interspersed with a healthy dollop of road trip history – everything from “tin can tourists” to roadside parks (rest areas) to Citizen Band (CB) slang and more – make for an interesting and fun read. I dare you to be bored!

Given society’s penchant for near-constant entertainment these days, any author who can transform history into an informative and entertaining vehicle like Don't Make Me Pull Over! has penned a winner in my estimation. Richard Ratay, please write more!

Excellent treatment of the importance and evolution of the automobile in American history. Virtually anything and everything associated with the automobile is addressed. The family vacation becomes the “vehicle or introduce the evolution of the family car, gas stations, motels, fast food restaurants, highway development,, and just about anything else you associate with cars in America.

Wonderful history of American family travel and history of travel in general in the US. Will bring memories, good and bad to the minds of every reader.