Father of Route 66
This engaging biography of a remarkable man begins with a description of the urgency for “good roads” that gripped the nation in the early twentieth century as cars multiplied and mud deepened. Cy Avery was one of a small cadre of men and women whose passion carried the Good Roads movement from boosterism to political influence to concrete-on-the-ground. While most stopped there, Avery went on to assure that one road — U.S. Highway 66—became a fixture in the imagination of America and the world.
“…as Susan Croce Kelly’s well-researched new biography shows, Avery’s involvement in Route 66’s birth and its rise to worldwide fame was anything but an accident. The book — the first solely devoted to him — lays out convincingly how Avery’s talent, his background, his drive and his confidence all were crucial to the Mother Road eventually becoming a legend.
Route 66 News, 2014
“Kelly’s highly readable book is far more than a biography of an overlooked yet critical figure. It’s also a story of the times Avery lived through, including westward expansion, changing agricultural practices and the emerging power of oil – characteristics that would go a long way to define 20th century America.”
Windy City Reviews, 2014
