Rachel's sister Beth, who has mental retardation, asks her to spend a year riding the buses. Rachel reports to us what happened during that year, and shows us glimpses of her life before that so we can better understand the sisters' thoughts and experiences.

This book is great for learning about mental retardation, love, loss, and the courage it takes to change your habits.

I especially liked all of the mini-stories, the anecdotes, in the book. I enjoyed learning from the bus drivers and the other passengers, and hearing stories from Rachel and Beth's childhood. There was a good balance of positive and negative experiences in these stories, enough to keep it real.

I didn't like the repetition in Rachel's explanations behind the conclusions she comes to. Instead of introducing new anecdotes and examples, she cites things that we already have been told about three or four times. (For example, the memory of the sisters throwing grass and tickling eachothers' legs.)

When I finished reading this book I wanted to take a break from reading about mental disorders. I was grateful that I read this one and heard the truths it spoke but at the same time I was exhausted. I needed some time apart from the subject, so I could think about the events in this book.

The author of this book courageously put herself, both her faults and triumphs, into the story. I am grateful for what she has shared.

I recommend this book because it kept me reading to the end. The format, timeline, and characters are interesting... and it is written so it is easily read, and quickly finished.

I would not buy this, either for myself or someone else. It is a good story, but there are others which touched me more powerfully and which were written better. The content is not haunting; I suspect that I'll forget it soon.

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Created May 30, 2005 at 1:14am • Submit your own review...