More than 12,000 yellow Crown Victorias — and now minivans and hybrids — crisscross the streets of New York City, and the unseen army of drivers who operate them has a subculture and a lingo all its own. Melissa Plaut drives straight into this world with her first book. As a twenty-something living in Brooklyn, Plaut spends her post-college haze looking for something she can call a career. Coming up short, she opts to give up the soul-searching in favor of some short-term adventures. First stop: getting a "hack" license to drive a New York taxi.

What starts out as an adventure quickly becomes a grueling trial. Plaut learns that the odds are stacked against her as one of the 1% of cab drivers who are female — and that's on top of the other headaches, including traffic, no-tippers, and an endless parade of drunken, surly, or just plain crazy passengers. As the constant night shifts, stress, and an unforgiving city drag on her, she frequently contemplates bailing out. But she sticks with it and writes about it, ending up with a candid look at the decidedly unglamorous life of riding in front of the cab partition.

Like many hardcovers today, Plaut's book began as a blog and has all the benefits (a sarcastic candidness) and disadvantages (an aimless structure) of the online form. Still, through many tribulations and errors, she's able to pull out her larger themes. As she earns her chops, Plaut develops a strong camaraderie with her fellow cab drivers, and in turn, a camaraderie with the city streets themselves. Ultimately, she realizes it isn't the job she's battling, but herself. While she documents her transformation with only cursory scrutiny, the final result is honest and straightforward, with a lack of fanfare that's true to everyday life.

-Lauren Sommer