GET THE F*CK OVER...IT

This unapologetically biting satire of the self-help genre addresses bad drivers everywhere.

Inspired both by his anger at terrible drivers and by the podcast If Books Could Kill (and its cheerful send-up of wellness psychobabble), Hobbes identifies 14 types of terrible drivers (including the “Peekaboo Pacer” and the “Raging Hypocrite”) and analyzes each through a satirical self-help lens. Each chapter pairs an automotive pet peeve with a real-life inspirational suggestion—from sources like Mel Robbins’ “The Let Them Theory”and Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul (2007)—and breaks them down into humor-filled bon mots. (From “The Last-Second Merger”: “Let’s be clear: this isn’t about space. There’s room for one car. You know it. They know it. This isn’t physics. It’s principle. Because while they were cruising past everyone else with the confidence of a toddler in a Batman cape, you were over here respecting the code.”) A bonus quiz at the end of the book helps readers determine what type of driver they are, and a “Clinical Appendix” diagnoses different types of drivers—complete with a common name, diagnostic criteria, prognosis, and recommended treatment. Hobbes seamlessly blends general life frustrations with car and traffic scenarios (both literal and metaphorical). The snappy narrative voice continuously peppers in pop-culture references to television shows like Friends, movies like Office Space, and bands like Van Halen (which may prove dated to younger audiences). While the author’s sarcastic—and sometimes rather aggressive—humor might not strike a chord with readers who identify as more laid-back drivers, he makes it very clear that the work is not really about driving at all—it’s a book “about people. About humanity…It’s about the tension between order and chaos. Between urgency and apathy.” The result is a darkly humorous and relatable meditation on coexisting with people whom we may or may not relate to, encouraging readers to get through it all with a (sometimes chagrined) smile.

A laugh-out-loud parody that assures frustrated drivers that they’re not alone.