Product Description

The 1950s pop music accompanying Li'l Bit's excursion down memory lane cannot drown out the ghosts of her past. Sweet recollections of driving with her beloved uncle intermingle with lessons about the darker sides of life. Balmy evenings are fraught with danger; seductions happen anywhere. Li'l Bit navigates a narrow path between the demands of family and her own sense of right and wrong.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #175995 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 60 pages

Review
L.A. Theatre Works, a nonprofit theatre and radio production company, deserves a standing ovation for publishing consistently superb work. Most people simply do not have the time or the opportunity to see the many plays written in the last year, let alone the past decade. L.A. Theatre Works has been producing and recording plays for 10 years, and offers an extensive catalog of a varied body of work. I have heard nothing but top-notch acting and production values in the several plays I sampled and the one recording I witnessed. The plays are all about 90 minutes to two hours long. Most cost $18.95, and are available in stores or by calling (800) 708-8863. Recent productions include "How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel. Vogel's play takes a light look at a dark subject, focusing on Li'l Bit, the daughter of a rural Maryland woman whose uncle taught her much more than simply how to drive. She writes of the psyche-scarring, incestuous relationship between the pre-pubescent main character and her grown-up uncle. Her straightforward honesty and unabashed humor offers a remarkably candid view of family disfunction. Glenne Headly, with her youthful-sounding voice, is perfectly cast as Li'l Bit. She effortlessly portrays a confused girl and an older, angrier woman. However, even as her character ages, that tremulous, girlish quality to Headly's voice consistently enriches her performance. -- Los Angeles Times

Customer Reviews

How I Learned to Drive
Every quarter, for our English class book project we have to read one or two of the titles from the list that our teacher gave us. Being strapped for time, I decided to read a play, and luckily the play that I chose was "How I Learned to Drive" by Paula Vogel. Little did I realize that in reading this amazing piece of literature I would fall in love with it. Now, instead of just spending an hour reading the play, I want to spend a few hours watching it. I want to see how the actors portray the extended metaphor ( of sexual encounters and how it relates to learning how to drive a car ) that is the whole play. Vogel does a great job of creating real life characters who help us see into the sick world of a child molester. Although we naturally hate Peck for doing what he does, Vogel does an amazing job of dropping hints as to why he hurts Li'L Bit( so if you get a chance, read it more than once ). I would definitely recommend this play to any type of person. It is an easy read but more importantly, it tastefully makes you aware of what type of people there really are in this world.

How I Learned to LOVE this play.
I just went to see my university production of this play, and so I decided to get the book, because it brought out so many emotions many of us have never felt before. This book is so moving and heart wrenching. Lil Bit takes you on an adventure that is so real and so scary, that you can't put the book down. If you get the chance, don't waste it on any other play. This is THE PLAY to read.

Compelling
I saw this performed through Perseverance Theatre in Anchorage, Alaska, and Paula Vogel is a great artist when it comes to making beleivable characters. In this play, the child molester, Uncle Peck, is portrayed in a way that you grow to like him. The book by itself is worth buying, and a great piece of humorous and spellbinding literature.