"In 1933, when I was twelve, my older brother, Solly, owned a 1926 Model T Roadster. I called it the Shiny Black Beast." So begins Bella Will Rally, in which the precocious narrator, Bella Krawiec, sets her sights on her brother's car, thus setting in motion the role the automobile will play as a symbol of mobility and freedom-and for Bella-a means to seek her dreams. Set amidst the economic realities of depression-era America and the optimism of post-World War II, Bella's colorful family members exemplify the strong bonds that hold a family close, as well as the stubbornness that can sever such bonds. When Bella defies her strong-willed, patriarchal father and enters into early marriage and motherhood, her dreams are displaced by the burdens of reality. But once again, the automobile emerges, this time in the form of the Stutz Bearcat-with Bella in the driver's seat. As the sole female competitor in the first United States road rally, Bella's journey to the finish line brings with it a revelation from her young passenger about what dreams are truly made of.