When reading through an email message or some other kind of material, the voice of the person who compiled it will stream through my mind if I know the individual’s tone and delivery.

Not sure if this phenomena happens to other people or if it’s just the condition I have after more than 40 years of television, radio, movie and other media consumption.

This scenario unfolded as a read through Tom Hudson’s latest book. And for me, it made the great composition by the Hudson Cook chairman all the more enjoyable.

While Cherokee Media Group was on hiatus from publishing our daily e-newsletters during the closing days of 2016, I had the opportunity to read Tom’s latest work — CARLAW IV, The Federal Government’s War on Car Dealers.  Tom was kind enough to share a copy for this review, and to say the least, he gave me a wonderful Christmas gift.

If you ever have heard Tom speak, you know he mixes his witty humor with whatever relevant facts and precedents are germane to the specific top he might be discussing. After delving through the book, the anecdotes and analysis he shares about federal and state regulatory activities going back nearly 10 years offered keen insight into where the industry currently stands.

Tom explained how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau germinated into the regulatory behemoth it now is while other agencies have taken notice and intensified their overseeing activities regarding the financing and delivery of vehicles by dealerships and credit providers.

Tom acknowledged he compiled this work because he’s been practicing law “since the invention of dirt.”

Industry participants both experienced and “green peas” can benefit through the more than 300 pages of material Tom assembled.

The work is broken up nicely so that if you don’t have the opportunity to read it straight through, you can pause and pick it up later and continue nicely. The book contains other elements such as an industry lexicon that make it a resource on par with anything else available.

If you’ve read this far, please do not consider this commentary simply a free advertisement for Tom’s book. His knowledge and reputation certainly are at a level where he doesn’t need someone like me to shill for him.

Rather, I wanted this review to serve as a recommendation to an industry who has some players who believe agencies such as the CFPB will simply disappear once President-Elect Trump assumes control of the White House in a little more than a week.

I assure you, a host of skilled and well-informed experts have conveyed to me that situation is unlikely to unfold no matter how many times Trump tweets.

The investment needed to acquire and navigate through Tom’s latest work are well worth it. Even if you think you know the auto finance world inside and out, I assure that Tom has at least a few nuggets of information in this book you might not already know.

I would even go so far as to recommend the newest employees at your dealership or finance company delve into the material. Perhaps they are assigned reading time of 30 minutes a day during their first month on the job to read a few segments at a time. For individuals new to the industry, they would have a knowledge foundation that could make them an even better asset to your operation.

For individuals traveling to New Orleans later this month for the annual events hosted by the American Financial Services Association and the National Automobile Dealers Association, I have no doubt Tom can tell you more about how to secure your copy. For those not making it to the Big Easy, go to this website.

Happy reading and all the best to you for 2017 and beyond.

Nick Zulovich is senior editor of SubPrime Auto Finance News and can be reached at nzulovich@cherokeemediagroup.com.