Outskirts Press, INC.

The Odyssey of a Modern Loser

Jim Crack can’t seem to catch a break. If the Ellis Island disaster of his immigrant ancestors’ last name wasn’t bad enough, Jim himself seems destined for eternal failure in an inhospitable world. Plagued by asthma, allergies, and a bright brain that can’t ever seem to focus, he’s managed to drive himself into a hole of drinking and weed-smoking topped off by the indignity of a job as Goofy at Disneyland. But he’s determined to escape his sad-sack destiny, thanks to a bizarre opportunity. As the hapless young Crack becomes the world’s most unlikely gun-runner, he embarks on a life-changing journey that takes him from the depths of his childhood memories to the apotheosis of indulgence at the Newport Beach party scene; from the desperation of jail to the thrill of outsmarting a potential terrorist cell; and last but not least, from the shame of his own worst instincts to the glory of his best self. Funny, insightful, fast-paced, and closely observed, Car Trouble probes the wounds of the modern world with a deceptively light touch.