Reporter's Notebook: A Lesson From a Children's Book

Over the past decade-plus, I have been fortunate to become part of a car culture. One that celebrates our rides and the people who bring them to share. 

The shows, the meets, dinners, lunches…we all met to talk vehicles, builds, repairs, finding parts, and other people’s attitudes towards them. We even shared families, friends, spouses, children…the whole lot. 

But, where does this come from? How is it sustainable over the decade-plus I’ve been around this community?

These questions were prompted recently at a dinner meeting with the Great Northern Region of Lambda Car Club International. A fellow member brought out a book to share with us. It was a children’s book – but one we could relate to. 

The book, Nicky is Stanced-Out: An Original Children’s Story by B Nash, took us back to the time when we tried to find our automotive tribe. The bobbing and weaving through this group and the other have been challenging for a lot of us. It certainly was for me. 

Where did this book come from? As Amazon states in their bio on the author, he is a “Montana native but a Seattleite since 2001, Brian is a petrolhead of the first order, having spent more than 15 years as an amateur garage tuner tackling everything from engine builds and stereo installs to custom fabricated parts. As a founder and leader of multiple local car enthusiast clubs he has attended hundreds of car shows, parking lot meetups, club drives, and track days, and his interest in automotive photography has sent him to auto shows in London, Sydney, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Detroit. His current project car, a 1991 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, is a multiple best-in-class and best-in-show winner.”

If you ask us, it sounds like he had plenty of experience with trying to find his automotive tribe. Now, he is passing it along to the next generation. That is something that we should also be doing for not only our children, but anyone who wants to experience the world of automobiles. 

Among the people I met in the car culture, we are already seeing it. Give a child a Hot Wheels (or Matchbox) and they will play with it. Over time, they will understand what they were playing with at an early age. Then, they get their driver’s permit and their world will change. 

It’s that simple to pass it down. But only if they want it. Sometimes, they may feel otherwise. 

That’s where this book comes into play. 

If there is an underlying theme in this book, it is about where does one fit in the context of car culture – or, any culture at that. It is a challenge that continues in our advancing age. The idea that “fitting in” and finding your tribe becomes more difficult. 

Yet, we wonder if we have to continue the “fitting in” challenge that was presented in middle and high school in our advanced ages. 

Even at my advanced age, I still struggle with “fitting in.” That has been my challenge since my early years. Knowing how different I am to others but also understanding that there is a place where common ground is welcomed and celebrated. Not just in car culture and the media business, but within a community and society. 

The book resonated with me on several levels. Over the past decade-plus, I have found a tribe within car culture. Friends here in Minnesota that care, share, and celebrate each other. We may be scattered and busy with our lives and work these days, but we still are connected. 

It is my hope that we all find our tribe. The people that appreciate your vehicle and the person who owns it. Perhaps somewhere drama-free and full of continuous camaraderie. You may have a friend – or several – for life. And, you can pass it down to your next generation. 

That is the true output of Nash’s story. 

All photos by Randy Stern