Li'l Bit breaks from this scene to describe her family to the audience. Li'l Bit mentions she is graduating high school and going to a 'fancy college' in the fall, while Uncle Peck continues to admire her body. Peck unhooks her bra through her shirt, an act that Li'l Bit finds uncomfortable. Li'l Bit is 17 years old and sitting in Uncle Peck's car.

The script is a memory play told largely out of chronological order, with the first scene taking place in 1969 in a parking lot in rural Maryland. Aside from Li'l Bit and Uncle Peck, a Greek Chorus of three is on hand to play all of the other characters in their lives. The play tells the story of a woman nicknamed Li'l Bit as she comes to terms with her sexually abusive relationship with her Uncle Peck throughout her adolescence. Using the metaphor of driving and the issues of pedophilia, incest, and misogyny, the play explores the ideas of control and manipulation. The story follows the strained, sexual relationship between Li'l Bit and her aunt's husband, Uncle Peck, from her pre-adolescence through her teenage years into college and beyond.

It was written and developed at the Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska, with Molly Smith as artistic director. Vogel received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work. The play premiered on March 16, 1997, Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre. How I Learned to Drive is a play written by American playwright Paula Vogel. 1997 play by Paula Vogel How I Learned to Drive

How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel