Getaway Day

When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.
– Jewish Proverb
Mikey Wright is a normal 13-year-old. With normal problems. Until the day he finds out his dad has cancer. Getaway Day chronicles Mikey's journey to save his father's life and learn the meaning of his own. His journey to help his father takes him from the safety and security of his home town to Anaheim, Chicago, and back down Route 66. Along the way, he's helped by some ordinary and extraordinary folks. Each one has something to teach Mikey about fathers and sons, growing up, family, and home.
His efforts are thwarted at every turn, until Mother Nature steps up to the plate. When a freak storm deluges the Bay Area and forces postponement of the 1962 World Series and makes it impossible to practice in nearby San Francisco, the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants make arrangements to work out in nearby Modesto. Mikey is inches from making his father's dream come true when an encounter with his high school arch-nemesis threatens to ruin all of his work. Join Mikey as he learns selflessness and the power of believing. He discovers that expectations aren't real, loneliness is absolute, change is inevitable, and laughter is essential. Ultimately, he learns that growing up means letting go.
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is, and remains, immortal.
– Albert Pike

White, Ken

Parenting & Relationships

Kenneth B. White

That Happiness Thing: A Hometown Fable is a children’s book that poses the age-old question, “What is happiness?” Which is what a 10-year-old boy from a small California town wants to know. It’s 1958. Christmas is just around the corner. His family isn’t happy and he doesn’t know why. So he sets out to explore his home town and find out. With a little help from an elderly gentleman and a magical snow globe, he discovers that true happiness isn’t about having the most of everything, but making the most of everything you have. When his journey is finally complete, he learns that That Happiness Thing is home and family. That Happiness Thing is a bit of a hybrid, with elements of a children’s picture book and chapter book. I envision it as an illustrated short story for children and adults, similar to Nate the Great. Its look and feel is not unlike The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert and Per Breiehagen, Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems, and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Although the story is very specific to one small town, I believe it could be easily tailored to any town in the country.

That Happiness Thing: A Hometown Fable

Children's Books

Literature & Fiction

"When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry." – Jewish Proverb Mikey Wright is a normal 13-year-old. With normal problems. Until the day he finds out his dad has cancer. Getaway Day chronicles Mikey's journey to save his father's life and learn the meaning of his own. His journey to help his father takes him from the safety and security of his home town to Anaheim, Chicago, and back down Route 66. Along the way, he's helped by some ordinary and extraordinary folks. Each one has something to teach Mikey about fathers and sons, growing up, family, and home. His efforts are thwarted at every turn, until Mother Nature steps up to the plate. When a freak storm deluges the Bay Area and forces postponement of the 1962 World Series and makes it impossible to practice in nearby San Francisco, the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants make arrangements to work out in nearby Modesto. Mikey is inches from making his father's dream come true when an encounter with his high school arch-nemesis threatens to ruin all of his work. Join Mikey as he learns selflessness and the power of believing. He discovers that expectations aren't real, loneliness is absolute, change is inevitable, and laughter is essential. Ultimately, he learns that growing up means letting go. "What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is, and remains, immortal." – Albert Pike

Genre Fiction

Product Description 
“History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes.” 
– Paraphrased from a Quote Attributed to Mark Twain, American writer, humorist, and lecturer 
Brighter Day is a fictional memoir that takes place in 1969, the year everything changed. A year that defined a decade, it witnessed Woodstock and Altamont, Nixon and the Silent Majority, the moon landing and Native Americans occupying Alcatraz, Easy Rider and Oh! Calcutta!, People’s Park and the San Francisco State strike, Broadway Joe and the Amazin’ Mets, My Lai and the Moratorium, Charles Manson and the Zodiac Killer, Led Zeppelin and CSN&Y, Vietnam and the draft lottery. 
In this sequel to Getaway Day, it’s seven years on and Mikey Wright is starting his third year of college, approaching his twenty-first birthday, and facing a life-changing decision. In his quest to challenge a government he no longer trusts and protest an unjust, unpopular war he no longer believes in, he descends into the underground labyrinth of radical politics and culture and becomes involved with some bad company. The deeper he goes into the rabbit hole, the more he risks everything that matters – his family, his friends, his future. 
With a little help from family and friends, as well as the activists and extremists he encounters, he makes a transformative choice that will affect him and everything he cares about. As the tumultuous Sixties come to a close, Mikey learns that changing the world means changing himself. 
When I wrote Getaway Day, I was asked if I had considered writing a prequel, or a sequel. I hadn’t. But, I had contemplated writing a “Baby Boomer” novel; a novel about my experiences and the experiences of my peers. Getaway Day was the first book in that journey. Brighter Day is the second. Getaway Day was about family and sports. Brighter Day is about friends and music. Combined, they are the first two volumes in the book series, Our Days. I hope you enjoy it. 
“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'” 
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson, British Poet\nAbout the Author 
Ken retired from the worlds of advertising, corporate communications, and interactive entertainment to concentrate on writing and community service. He received his A.A. degree at Modesto Junior College, his B.A. and teaching credential at UC Davis, and his M.A. at San Francisco State University. He has taught mass communications and film appreciation at Modesto Junior College. Born in Lathrop and raised in Modesto, California, he continues to live in his home town. He is married to Robin and has two adult step-sons, Tyler and Eric. He has written novels, screenplays, short stories, stage plays, children's and non-fiction books. Most of his stories are about his home town and the Central Valley heartland.

Brighter Day (Our Days)

"History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes."
- Paraphrased from a Quote Attributed to Mark Twain, American writer, humorist, and lecturer
Brighter Day is a fictional memoir that takes place in 1969, the year everything changed. Ayear that defined adecade, it witnessed Woodstock and Altamont, Nixon and the Silent Majority, the moon landing and Native Americans occupying Alcatraz, Easy Rider and Oh! Calcutta!, People's Park and the San Francisco State strike, Broadway Joe and the Amazin' Mets, My Lai and the Moratorium, Charles Manson and the Zodiac Killer, Led Zeppelin and CSN&amp;Y, Vietnam and the draft lottery.
In this sequel to Getaway Day, it's seven years on and Mikey Wright is starting his third year of college, approaching his twenty-first birthday, and facing a life-changing decision. In his quest to challenge a government he no longer trusts and protest an unjust, unpopular war he no longer believes in, he descends into the underground labyrinthof radical politics and culture and becomes involved with some bad company. The deeper he goes into the rabbit hole, the more he risks everything that matters - his family, his friends, his future.
With a little help from family and friends, as well as the activists and extremists he encounters, he makes a transformativechoice that will affect him and everything he cares about. As the tumultuous Sixties come to a close, Mikey learns that changing the world means changing himself.
When I wrote Getaway Day, I was asked if I had considered writing a prequel, or a sequel. I hadn't. But, I had contemplated writing a "Baby Boomer" novel; a novel about my experiences and the experiences of my peers. Getaway Day was the first book in that journey. Beautiful Day is the second. Getaway Day was about family and sports. Beautiful Day is about friends and music. Combined, they are the first two volumes in the book series, Our Days. I hope you enjoy it.
"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier.'"
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, British Poet

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Books by Kenneth B. White

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Kenneth B. White publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Getaway Day

That Happiness Thing: A Hometown Fable

Getaway Day

Getaway Day

Brighter Day (Our Days)

Brighter Day (Our Days)

Brighter Day (Our Days)