內容簡介
解析支撐世界經濟的底層架構，
直擊人類無止盡追求便利背後的真相
比擬《寂靜的春天》和《雜食者的兩難》，《超負荷時代》理出了人類文化中的問題。本書作者不懈怠地展示了龐大的數字與驚人的事實，井然有序、理由充分的論述與洞見，也許將撼動世界運輸這艘超負荷的大船。
── Mary Roach, the New York Times Book Review
追求便利，究竟得付出多少代價？全球化改變了工業生產模式，讓每一件小東西都隱藏了數以萬計的運輸里程；汽車世代的人們花大錢讓一台車每天閒置二十二個小時、佔據城市三分之一的空間。網路與電子商務讓宅配興起，無止盡地追求愈來愈快的配達時間。人類每一次移動、按下每一次滑鼠，背後都仰賴一個龐大無比的點對點運輸系統，但它正走向崩潰的臨界點，這就是本書揭露的真相。
我們食用、銷售、購買、駕駛與觸摸的一切東西都隱藏數千英里、甚至數百萬英里的運輸旅程，它們時而顯而易見，時而隱密難尋。將大螢幕電視、重要的藥物或咖啡杯從上海的工廠運輸到加州的港口，然後再送到當地商店或消費者的家門口（每天都要這樣穩妥且迅速地做上二億次），可謂人類最偉大的成就。猶如一日之內同時建造古夫金字塔、胡佛水壩與金門大橋。每天都要完成這些壯舉。然而，同樣的運輸系統卻讓人們通勤時苦不堪言，每十五分鐘造成一人死亡，每十三秒讓一個人得送往急診室救治，以及讓道路、軌道和橋樑超載，使其面臨崩潰，但我們卻無力興建或修葺這些基礎設施。
如今，無論未來將變得更好或更糟，巨大的變化正降臨我們點對點的龐大運輸機器，必將逐步改變通勤、文化與商業的本質。我們已經到了面臨抉擇的十字路口。問題是，我們會邁向「交通末日」或「交通天堂」。
在《超負荷時代：即將崩潰的流通世界》中，廣受好評的記者艾德華．休姆斯揭露了現代美國家庭日常生活中隱藏的巨量運輸旅程。他以生動感性的口吻，帶領讀者進入美國最繁忙的港口與最大的快遞公司、詳述比薩從麵糰製造到運送至消費者家門口的壯闊旅程，以及引領我們檢視美國最致命的戰場（道路與街道）在二十四小時內發生了哪些令人痛心的事故。
休姆斯訪問過某些令人難忘的人物，從中建構了一則運輸偵探故事，揭示了我們每一回從事旅行與每一次按下滑鼠鍵，背後都展現驚人的成就。此外，本書戳破了世人轉錯彎之後產生的迷思：為何增加高速公路的車道會讓交通益發惡化、為何車輛更大會更不安全，以及為何每年會發生數百萬起交通事故，但幾乎沒有一起事故屬於「意外」。
本書讓讀者窺探可能由共乘服務與自動化汽車之類的嶄新高效工具轉變的未來世界，同時檢視非常實際的現況，指出運輸是人們可獨自改變的大事之一：當我們即將要抵達得做出抉擇的十字路口時，個人的選擇將可發揮深遠的影響。
用現代博物學糖衣包裝起來的運輸偵探故事。普利茲獎得主以縝密細緻的調查報告，引領我們思考如何解決當前最嚴重的社會問題，以及人類通勤、文化與商業的本質，又是如何與日常運輸世界緊密連結，還有，我們該如何做出抉擇。
Transportation dominates our daily existence. Thousands, even millions, of miles are embedded in everything we do and touch. We live in a door-to-door universe that works so well most Americans are scarcely aware of it. The grand ballet in which we move ourselves and our stuff is equivalent to building the Great Pyramid, the Hoover Dam, and the Empire State Building all in a day. Every day. And yet, in the one highly visible part of the transportation world—the part we drive—we suffer grinding commutes, a violent death every fifteen minutes, a dire injury every twelve seconds, and crumbling infrastructure.
Now, the way we move ourselves and our stuff is on the brink of great change, as a new mobility revolution upends the car culture that, for better and worse, built modern America. This unfolding revolution will disrupt lives and global trade, transforming our commutes, our vehicles, our cities, our jobs, and every aspect of culture, commerce, and the environment. We are, quite literally, at a fork in the road, though whether it will lead us to Carmageddon or Carmaheaven has yet to be determined.
Using interviews, data and deep exploration of the hidden world of ports, traffic control centers, and the research labs defining our transportation future, acclaimed journalist Edward Humes breaks down the complex movements of humans, goods, and machines as never before, from increasingly car-less citizens to the distance UPS goes to deliver a leopard-printed phone case. Tracking one day in the life of his family in Southern California, Humes uses their commutes, traffic jams, grocery stops, and online shopping excursions as a springboard to explore the paradoxes and challenges inherent in our system. He ultimately makes clear that transportation is one of the few big things we can change—our personal choices do have a profound impact, and that fork in the road is coming up fast.
Door to Door is a fascinating detective story, investigating the worldwide cast of supporting characters and technologies that have enabled us to move from here to there—past, present, and future.