Chicago Route 66 expert writing his memoirs in serialized form

David G. Clark, known as the Windy City Road Warrior for his extensive knowledge of Route 66 in Chicago, is offering people a chance to read his in-progress memoirs in emailed, serialized form.

Clark said he’ll be sending out sections of the book by email every two or three weeks. The first installment was sent on Wednesday, although other sections previously were published in the Route 66 Federation News by the National Historic Route 66 Federation. If you wish to subscribe, send him an email to dave(at)windycityroadwarrior(dot)com

“At some point, I am going to perhaps ask for a small subscription fee that will act as a prepayment for the published book,” Clark told Route 66 News in an email. “But at this point as I finish installments I will send them to anyone on the list with no charge.”

The book, titled “Zeno’s Motel and Paradox on Route 66,” states in a blurb about David and his late wife Carol, who died in 2015:

“However, a problem that plagued both of them throughout their adult lives grew steadily worse. Eventually, their severe alcohol abuse and addiction would overwhelm them and lead to tragedy. … It’s a story of loss, and a story of quantum leaps on the journey to recovery.”

Clark at one point tells a bartender: “Carol’s not on this trip. Her ashes are in an urn in our home in Chicago. She’s dead … I killed her.”

I asked Clark what prompted him to be so candid in his writing:

“There are a lot of reasons why a person develops a substance abuse addiction, and many of those reasons revolve around isolation, deception, and lies. A huge part of recovery is to face and come to terms with those deceptions, to discover how and why they started, and to go forward from there honestly. So far, whenever I have shared parts of this story it has helped others open up and deal with their own issues. So publishing this story is a large part of my own continuing recovery, and I certainly hope it may help others with similar things to overcome. And for everyone who has not had to deal with this–perhaps it will help those folks understand the how and why of addiction and recovery.”

Clark wrote “Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland,” “Route 66 in Chicago” and other volumes that extensively researched the paths and landmarks of Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway in the Chicago area, where he resides.

(Image of David G. Clark via Facebook)