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Title: Riding the Bus With My Sister: A True Life Journey by Rachel Simon ISBN: 0-452-28455-4 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 26 August, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.58 (26 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Special Journey
Comment: Many things in this book amazed me, not the least of which was the support system of bus drivers who were such an integral part of Beth Simon's life as she rode the city buses, day after da,y in an unnamed Pennsylvania city.
Rachel, spending part of the year accompanying her mildly retarded sister on her daily rounds of bus rides, intricately depicts these drivers and their(mostly) caring attitudes toward Beth. It was amazing to her that Beth actually had a better support system than she did in her so-called "normal" life.
Interspered in the monthly entries are vignettes about the past shared by these two sisters and their siblings. Their total abandonment by their mother when she decided to marry an abusive convict was heart-wrenching. But this book was never whiny- rather, it showed the resilience of this family.
I learned a lot about the social services, within a community, that are provided to disabled people like Beth. Her "team" seemed very caring and involved with her life.
I felt Rachel's frustration as she tried to convince Beth to eat better, take better medical and dental care of herself, and to get some kind of a job. Beth's stubbornmess and willfulness were also a challenge to her sister, as was her demanding attitude.
This book is perceptive, enlightening, painfully honest....and memorable. I am so glad that I read it and that Rachel Simon allowed me into her world.
Rating: 5
Summary: An unforgettable journey
Comment: Rachel Simon has written a clear-eyed and inspirational memoir about life with her sister, a stubborn and resourceful woman who has mental retardation. Beth lives by herself in an unnamed Pennsylvania city where she fills her days with riding bus route after bus route, chatting with the drivers and a few of the passengers. When Beth challenges Simon, a professor and writer, to ride the buses with her for a year, Simon accepts.
Of course, Simon has a job and a life in another city, so her visits to Beth are necessarily brief and divided by days, maybe weeks. Simon isn't sure what to expect of this new time spent with her sister except for early rising (Beth rushes out of the house every morning at 5:30 am, rain or shine) and frantic sprints to public restrooms. On a superficial level, Simon understands what her sister does all day. What Simon doesn't expect is to find a richness in Beth's life that she herself lacks. This insight, gained not only through living with her sister but also through conversations with the bus drivers who have befriended Beth, leads Simon to re-evaluate her own priorities and choices.
This book is a journey of two sisters, who cover distances both geographical and emotional. Simon writes with heartfelt, no-nonsense prose that carries this story with remarkable aplomb. Her portraits of the individual drivers are filled with detail and sharp-eyed perception. Her honesty about her own misgivings and failings is refreshing, and the lack of sentimentality is a relief. What most distinguishes this book, however, is Simon's palpable affection for her sister. Both Beth and Simon are remarkable women, and I heartily thank Simon for allowing me a glimpse into their lives.
Rating: 5
Summary: Profound
Comment: Profound
This is a hugely profound look at the life of children that live within a dysfunctional family. It is easy to read and matter of fact. The storyline and time line excellently done.
Other memoirs to look for: Nightmares Echo and Running With Scissors
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Title: Fifty Acres and a Poodle: A Story of Love, Livestock, and Finding Myself on a Farm by Jeanne Marie Laskas ISBN: 055338015X Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 02 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Price of a Child : A Novel by Lorene Cary ISBN: 0679744673 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 June, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Sleep Toward Heaven: A Novel by Amanda Eyre Ward ISBN: 1931561230 Publisher: MacAdam/Cage Publishing Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Where River Turns to Sky by Gregg Kleiner ISBN: 0380805596 Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 06 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic by Martha Beck ISBN: 0425174484 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: 08 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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