Rating: 
Summary: Interesting take on modern American history
Review: Pete Davies has provided us with an interesting view on American history with his book American Road. I found the book interesting and engrossing, though Davies had a tendancy at times to divert off to a tangent that does not seem to be related to the topic at hand. Most of the topics he includes in the book give the reader a better understanding of how critical this transcontinental journey really was in forming modern America.Davies' research is top-notch; he relies on primary sources including journals and newspaper accounts written at the time of the events. The book is a great chronicle of early 20th Century Americana from a social perspective, including the trials and tribulations faced by the individuals during the cross-country journey. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the formation of modern America's motor age, but if you're only interested in understanding the Army's piece in this, you should consider skipping this book, because it doesn't do much with the military piece, despite the fact that the U.S. Army was responsible for the motorcade.
Rating: 
Summary: A great story--and very readable!
Review: You will find Davies' book to be a highly readable and epic account of the genesis of our nation's road system early in the 20th century as Americans commenced their love affair with the car. His history of the First Transcontinental Motor Train and the Lincoln Highway is well researched, and well deserving of being brought to light, given their impact on the development of the American primary route and interstate systems later on. I learned a lot (now I know how the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC and Lincoln Park in SF got their names), although I was also a bit disappointed that he did not write a more balanced account of the Utah controversy over the placement of the Lincoln Highway, giving only the Lincoln Highway Association's perspective. (Okay, okay...I admit that most readers won't notice that...but hey, I'm a stickler for details!) The book is also timely as we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, as the centennial provided a context for both the Lincoln Highway and the Lincoln penny! Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: A great story--and very readable!
Review: You will find Davies' book to be a highly readable and epic account of the genesis of our nation's road system early in the 20th century as Americans commenced their love affair with the car. His history of the First Transcontinental Motor Train and the Lincoln Highway is well researched, and well deserving of being brought to light, given their impact on the development of the American primary route and interstate systems later on. I learned a lot (now I know how the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC and Lincoln Park in SF got their names), although I was also a bit disappointed that he did not write a more balanced account of the Utah controversy over the placement of the Lincoln Highway, giving only the Lincoln Highway Association's perspective. (Okay, okay...I admit that most readers won't notice that...but hey, I'm a stickler for details!) The book is also timely as we approach the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, as the centennial provided a context for both the Lincoln Highway and the Lincoln penny! Bravo!
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