“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 detailed history of the realignments, the role of minority groups in the history of Route 66, or types of Mother Road–related memorabilia.

Not one of these books—or the other twenty or so I have read in prior years—has the personal depth, passion, and mile-by-mile experience of the traveler–enthusiast as does The White Whale, written by YouTuber Kenneth A. Lee. In this fast-paced, 73-page memoir, Lee recounts how the loss of seven video files from a recent road trip led him to pursue his very own White Whale—the stretch of 66 between Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis and the Neon Park in St. Robert, Missouri—which happens to be one of my favorite stretches. I made my seventh visit this year to the Neon Park less than a week ago. In other words, Lee certainly had my attention.

What I enjoy most about Kenneth’s writing is his honesty, matched with a personal philosophy and perseverance-in-the-face-of-obstacles optimism from which we all can learn. Plain and simple, he’s an alchemist.

Kenneth is also a seasoned road trip planner, which makes this book an essential handbook for anyone looking to make some miles—be it driving the length of the Mother Road from start to finish (the subject of his forthcoming book) or visiting every MLB stadium in America (which he’s also done).

Like the best of the travel writers, Lee puts us in the vehicle beside him as he sets off on his quest—to replace the missing footage he somehow lost. Along the way, we are introduced to MooDini, the mascot of Kenneth’s YouTube channel, Ken’s Route 66 Adventures, and some of his favorite stops along the route. Many are accompanied by color photos. Ken, whom I’ve met on several occasions, has an easy manner and sincerity about him that makes people want to talk to him. The reader gets to meet the owners and staff of several locations (as well as fellow travelers and enthusiasts) through their conversations with the author. This is also rare in the many books I’ve read, as the People and Places are often handled separately, with past-tense boxed biographies instead of real-time conversations.

Because he knows that a trip without any kind of challenge is a trip that’s not worth taking, Kenneth relates, in Chapter Six, “The Chase,” how a line of powerful storms between Litchfield and St. Louis nearly swamped his metaphorical Pequod. It’s a race against the clock that I completely understand—I had to abandon Conway and Jericho, Texas, on my most recent Route 66 adventure due to impassable stretches after days of torrential rain. It’s also a challenge to film for a YouTube channel (or even take decent photos) in a downpour.

There’s a story in The White Whale that turned out to be intricately connected to some of my own experiences back in June. I’ll only say that it has to do with a hotel, a 1:30 a.m. phone call, and abundant proof that people can be generous and accommodating, which is just more proof that Route 66 draws together the people it needs to tell its story. As if that isn’t proof enough, there’s another story that involves a person I had lunch with two weeks after reading the book at the Mid-Point Café in Adrian, Texas, because the host seated us with her and her husband in the crowded café. I had only met her two nights before.

In the end, Kenneth A. Lee’s quest to replace seven missing video files was about considerably more than the footage.  Anyone who’s driven Route 66, which has not officially existed since its decommissioning in 1985 (!), knows full well that it’s not just a road to get you from place to place. That’s the purpose of the interstate highway system (the Slab, as some of my Mother Road compatriots have named it). Route 66 is about the people and experiences you simply cannot meet and have while traveling at 80 miles an hour through the gray and brown, homogenized horrorscape of massive box stores, corporate footprints, and barely differentiated franchises of I-40 and the rest. 

In summation, I give you one of The White Whale’s final lines: “[L]ife has an incredible way of hiding its greatest blessings inside our biggest frustrations.”

This kind of down-home, hard-earned wisdom, coupled with a glimpse into some of the highlights of Route 66 through the eyes of someone who truly appreciates their enduring magic, makes this book a must-read for anyone who loves the Mother Road.