“Blessings, not Frustrations”: A Review of The White Whale: A Route 66 Memoir by Kenneth A. Lee
(Next Mile Press, 2026). ISBN: 9798997600008 2026 has been a big year for all things Route 66, which celebrates its one hundredth birthday on November 11. Along with new installations and attractions; renovations to some of the Mother Road’s most cherished motels, restaurants, and gas stations; and a resurgence of interest in the famous Chicago to Santa Monica route by news agencies, researchers, and travelers (many from other countries), there has been a dramatic increase in the number of books being written about the Main Street of America. In my role as a Route 66 researcher, performer, presenter, writer, traveler, and immersive experience designer, I have read (and reviewed) many of those new books. Most are your typical coffee table travelogs, full of glossy pictures and the where, when, and what of the route, typically organized by state or type of attraction. Most of the books have some particular area of focus that separates them from the others, such as a detai...