A Mechanic and a Gentleman: An Odyssey into the Automotive Repair Experience

This is a nonfiction account. Names and identifying characteristics have been changed. Welcome to Harrison Technical Institute, where aspiring mechanics are given a formal introduction to the world of automotive repair. It is a place peopled by a cast of unforgettable characters. The seventeen-year old car genius felled by the oldest and most powerful drug inflicted upon man. The stubborn Ecuadorian father who insists on hacking everything. The trash-talking white kid who has an amazing penchant for inserting his foot in his mouth. The giggly, disruptive black student who generously shares his stash. Young and not-so-young hormonal men who sexually harass anything that moves. Then there’s Bill, the charming teacher who tries to instill order and shape his charges into productive contributors to the profession. Finally, there’s your tour guide, Sue Edwards, one of the students who studies this chaos from the perspective of a woman possessing a white-collar, professional background. She didn’t set out to write this memoir, but the stories were too good not to share. Laced with (immature) humor and surprising moments of sensitivity, A Mechanic and a Gentleman unveils the automotive repair environment, and its dirty, greasy underside. It’s a tale containing observations about men and women, the working and professional classes, race, culture, sexuality, ethics, and the industry at large. Oh, yeah, there’s stuff about fixing cars, too. It’s an insider’s look into what it takes to be an automotive mechanic. You may never look at one the same way again.