Ridin' that bus....

Hello, book lovers! On May 29 we took a ride to Amy's mother's home to discuss "Riding the Bus with My Sister" by Rachel Simon.

We packed our lunches into styrofoam containers for our ride. Hoagie sandwiches, apples, individual packets of trail mix, baby carrots and Sun Chips were provided for our "meal on the go." We also choose from a variety of delicious flavored waters (and only 5 calories!). Dessert was a cute pound cake bus, with chocolate donut wheels and fresh strawberries. Thanks to Amy and her mom for keeping with the theme of the book.

For the most part, I think everyone enjoyed the book as a whole. There were parts that were frustrating for some readers. Some of us felt the frustration of the family as Beth manipulated everyone around her in order to get her own way. We also could feel her father's frustration and desperation as he struggled to take care of Beth and maintain control over his own life. The comment was also made that Beth could have contributed positively to society but choose not to. The feeling was that if Beth was smart enough to figure out bus schedules, remember drivers birthdays and make bus stops on time, she could have done more with her life. As it was, Beth was content to simply ride the buses. In fact, we all agreed that once she found the buses, her life had meaning and excitement.

We felt that Rachel did an excellent job portraying Beth's speech and mannerisms. It was interesting that Rachel figured out that "I don't kn-oh" had 3 separate meanings for Beth. We also could feel Rachel's frustration with her sister's behavior. And it was interesting to note that Rachel was 40 before she really researched her sister's condition and tried to learn the definition of mental retardation.

We all agreed that Rachel and Beth came from a family with severe dysfunction. Their mother was certainly an interesting woman! There were feelings of anger towards her as well as pity. Her low self-confidence, sadness and overall disappointment with life combined to send her into a downward spiral which eventually ended with her marrying an alcoholic, ex-con. There was redemption for her when all 4 of the children eventually reestablished contact with her after many years.

In the end, Rachel was able to break out of her introverted, lonely life and reach out to others through the experiences gained "riding the buses". She learned much about life from the drivers, many of whom were deeply philosophical about life. Rachel was able to find long-awaited happiness with her former love, Sam, although Beth surely must have been disappointed about not getting her wish: a bus driver for a brother-in-law.

The next book club will be held at Grandma Margett's home on Thursday, June 19.

Happy Reading!
Carma Rasmussen