In Our Humble Opinion: Car Talk's Click and Clack Rant and Rave

by Tom Magliozzi, Greg Proops

The hosts of NPR's popular non-news radio show share a collection of their original observations, rants, musings, and declarations, on topics ranging from computer and coffee culture to politics and Hollywood, in a series of brief but pithy essays.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Cars

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Book Concierge · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is subtitled: Car Talk’s Click and Clack Rant and Rave and that is exactly what this book is – a collection of rants on a variety of subjects from poor drivers, to the sorry state of education, to global warming.

I love National Public Radio’s Car Talk program. Listening to the brothers laugh their way through the various dilemmas posed by their audience was entertaining and laugh-producing. A wonderful way to start a weekend. I was expecting that kind of reaction to the book. There were some entertaining essays in the book, but I was disappointed. That’s mostly my own fault, because I didn’t read the description closely, or pay attention to any reviews. There’s probably a rant about idiot readers who don’t know what kind of book they just picked up …

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really thought I would love this book. I wanted to love this book. I like Car Talk, I like the Magliozzi brothers, and I generally find them funny and entertaining, so why is this book so painfully dull? I suppose it should have been self-evident from the title that this book is nothing more than a long extended rant, but I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be so completely random and pedantic. By the end I really had to make myself finish it just to make sure that I wasn't missing the best part. Yes, I'm still giving it two stars because some of it was genuinely entertaining, but for the most part this book should have been titled Grumpy Old Men (and not the funny kind).

[Christopher Gullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Magliozzi Brothers, hosts of NPR's Car Talk, do it again but this time in written form rather than audio form. While there is a lot of ranting and raving in this book, it's all supported, well articulated and very funny.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you are a fan of the program, you'll love every page of this." (Baltimore Sun) Very true. I liked learning more about their lives. Their arguments were well thought out. One of the most enjoyable chapters discussed whether progress in certain areas was a good thing.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Car Talk, but their book is- and I can't believe I'm saying this-, well.... boring. Part of what makes Car Talk funny is listening to them laugh and Tom and Ray bantering off each other- which you can't get in a book.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wanted to like this, and some of the rants/stories were amusing, but most of them were just boring, completely unrealistic, or petty; The best part of Car Talk is their back-and-forth banter, which is missing here

[Jill Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and very funny. It reads just like I am listening to them on the radio.

[David Desautels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and easy read. Their philosophy is not at all what I would have thought.

[Cindy Wyatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just fun - I love Car Talk.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite NPR hosts impart a wide variety of wisdom (with a few dumb things thrown in).

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. Some books are not timeless.

[Tebel Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 2000, the brothers present various legit complaints with some unrealistic solutions, eg. complaining to police about their lack of vigorously pursuing drivers engaged in committing traffic violations; telling Hollywood to stop putting out violent movies; getting people to stop buying bottled water, etc, etc.
Humorous at times, but actually a pretty depressing read overall. Pages 239-268 are the absolute best part of this book, sharing their views on what's wrong with the US educational system.
Tom died in 2014.
Ray, at this point in 2025, is still alive.

[Mk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. It is a funny book and this alone is worth the effort to read it. As an avid listener to the NPR radio show I gained knowledge of the personalities (Tom & Ray) I did not know. This additional insight gained by reading this book enhanced my comprehension of their show. Overall an enjoyed, unserious, little book which covered subjects I had not expected! Not what I expected but it is an uncumbersome, enjoyable read. Wish I could expect more.

[Rayjan Koehler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, but I already knew to some extent what the book would be about. These brothers are hilarious on their radio show Car Talk.

Love these guys!

R.I.P. Tom.

[Michael Romo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic click and clack! I loved these rants:
-The IMM Syndrome
-The Taxonomy of Humankind
-Another Microsoft Conspiracy
-The Founding Fathers
-An Education Trilogy: In Four parts

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly, if humbly opinionated, if you enjoyed their radio show, Car Talk, you'll probably like this book. If you didn't, then maybe not so much.

[Grant Freeman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The true stories of the boys are interesting and engaging, but the rants section ends up being very dated, and despite their usual loquacious humor, not very funny. It made me really appreciate their radio show, but the book as a whole is not very successful.

[Evannn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Click and Clack are awesome and wicked funny, you know this. Maybe i didn't read the cover closely enough, but i was expecting a book more like their show, which this isn't. It is, though, exactly what it claims to be, a book of rants by curmudgeonly Cantabrigian car connoisseurs. I think they would appreciate the alliteration there. Many of the rants are funny, but by 2/3 of the way through the book i was more than ready for it to be over. Ray's interesting take on education in the last few chapters is worth a read, but i would probably just stick to the radio show.

Quote of the book: "[Parents and large multinational companies] are the two main forces in society that don't want us to have any fun at the end of the day. They want us to come home, do a little homework, have supper, watch prime-time sitcoms, forget about the revolution, and hit the hay so we'll be nice and fresh and ready to be exploited or indoctrinated all over again the next morning." - Ray Magliozzi

[Joan Roll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tom and Ray Magliozzi write about cars, marriage, education and many things in between in their book titled In Our Humble Opinion. They each write their own chapters and give their humble opinions as well as rants on many topics. However, Tom is certainly the more prolific of the two as his chapters outnumber those written by Ray.

Even though I know nothing about cars I have listened to the radio show and have enjoyed their lively banter. I may have even learned a thing or two. That is why I decided to read this book. It was not quite what I expected. Even though parts of the book were tongue-in-cheek, there were other parts that I felt were more likened to a lecture than to a rant. I anticipated a lighter read that would more closely replicate their exchanges on the radio.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Our Humble Opinion is a must read for "Car Talk" fanatics. In addition to "cars, car repair, and the answer to last week's puzzler.," the book offers insight into the lives of radio personalities, Tom and Ray Magliozzi. The book is divided into six distinct sections: "a humble beginning" (personal life), cars, musings, rants, "founding fathers" (government), and education. The eldest of the pair, Tom is the primary author of the book, due to his strong opinions and his urge to share them with the public. However, do not discount the younger, Ray, whom also proposes various plans to improve the general well-being of society. As a whole, the book shows another side of the self-made car enthusiasts who took public radio by storm.

[Melanie Page · Rating 2 out of 5]

You ever meet a grump ol' white man who thinks he knows everything about the world and that everyone else is just too stupid to do what he wants?

This book has two of them. It starts out funny when Tom and Ray give their bios. But then the expound on life, which includes the thesis statements of little girls spend their whole lives conniving to financially injure their fathers, and people who aren't rich shouldn't be allowed to buy plane tickets.

I'll still listen to Car Talk re-runs, though. I'm now glad they're all "the best of."

[Evanston Public Library]

Most of National Public Radio is serious. Thankfully, “Car Talk” is not. On Saturday mornings, the Magliozzi brothers guffaw their way through a dozen calls about cars and car repair, answering listeners’ questions and also commenting most un-humbly on topics ranging from American history to mass media to messy relationships. In this often hilarious book they joke and muse, as well as rant and rave. Try reading some parts out loud, with a Boston accent. (Jeff B., Reader’s Services)

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short rants on everything from cars to the education system. A few of their thoughts were a bit too radical. While the book was amusing and an easy read, I don't think it was up to the typical Click and Clack standard.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom and Ray Maglioozzi entertain every weekend on NPR's Car Talk as Click and Clack from 'our fair city, Cambridge, Mass." The MIT educated mechanics tender their opinions and share much of their backrounds. Pure fun for their fans.

[JohnnyV · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as a big car talk fan and bought it because it was autographed. The book is mediocre at best, not meteoric.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently Ray does not believe in global warming. At least that's what he thought in the year 2000, when this book came out.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the radio show, this book's a little preachy.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining. The best part was at the end: The Education Trilogy (in 4 parts!) Tom made some good points about education. Read it just for this part!