Mercedes-Benz — Pawel Huelle

As he struggles with the tiny Fiat's gearbox and Gdansk's traffic, Pawel, the narrator, entertains his driving instructor with stories of his grandparents before the war and of his father in the 1970s, centered on their ownership of Mercedes-Benz cars -- the outings, the races, the crashes, and the inevitable repairs.

Based on fact and illustrated with personal photographs, these tales contrast the golden era of Poland's prewar independence with the dismal Communist years and with the uncertain new chapter in the country's history that had only just begun. With elegant brilliance, Huelle creates a touching portrait of three generations amid life-changing historical events.

Born in 1957, Pawel Huelle, the author of Who Was David Weiser?, is a novelist, playwright, and journalist who has lived most of his life in Gdansk.