Bookmarked: Dennita Sewell

Professor of Practice at the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

RECOMMENDS: “Fins: Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit” by William Knoedelseder

HER TAKE

            “This book starts with the Earl family’s trip across the Great Plains on a covered wagon and moves through the profound changes that the automobile made on American culture with their grandson, Harley Earl, at the center. I gained a greater understanding of the aesthetic inspirations, big-risk business strategies and manufacturing challenges behind some of his iconic automobile designs, including the 1950 LeSabre, the 1953 Corvette, the 1955 Bel Air and the era-defining 1959 Cadillac. But it was author William Knoedelseder’s portrait of Earl’s strong-willed personality and struggles as a keen visionary that made it hard for me to put it down.”