Riding the Bus with My Sister: A True Life Journey

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.

This is, quite simply, a splendid earthbound book. With admirable honesty Rachel Simon details her year spent riding the buses of an unnamed Pennsylvania city with her "mentally challenged" younger sister Beth.Unsentimental, clear-eyed, and painfully truthful, Simon interweaves scenes from the family's past into the tales of her travels with the self-named Cool Beth. We meet a series of quite remarkable drivers, some of whom display levels of wisdom and kindness that are exceptional; as well, the majority of the drivers possess philosophical attitudes and good-heartedness. It's a view from that front bench seat by the door that will undoubtedly alter every reader's perception and/or preconceived notions about the people who carry us from one point to another--in any city or town.Everyone in this book is revealed, warts and all, with perception and, by the end, with a hard-won perspective that leads not only to the author's self-acceptance but also to a new level of respect for the wonderfully well-depicted Beth (in all her rotund, stubborn glory); for the parents and siblings who spent decades of their lives striving not only to be supportive of their sister but also their efforts to come to terms with the effects of Beth on their own lives.This is a brave and enlightening book that leaves one filled with admiration for both Rachel and Beth, along with a heightened sense of how, so often, while we might think we're coping well with whatever life throws at us, below the surface linger effects of which we may well be unaware.Most highly recommended.

Did you ever see a person, day in and day out, virtually blending them into the background of your life so that you know they exist, but you really don't pay excessive attention to them?I ride the bus to work every morning, and home every afternoon, and when I do, there's usually a purple shirted, radio-carrying, talkative, happy companion in the seat adjacent to the driver's. I've been riding the buses with Beth for almost ten years. Without ever having a real relationship beyond occasional conversation, Beth has made me laugh when I was frowning, made me smile when I was annoyed at how poorly someone was treating her, with one of her "I dunno! Don't care"'s, fired off with a genuine smile, and made me think when I was trying to drown myself in my own sorrow. In this town, you know Beth. You know her, even if not by name, because she is a character. Vivacious, uplifting, and demanding your eyes and ears... Beth is everywhere. Whether she makes you happy, sad, angry, confuses you... she's a constant. It took me reading this book to realize all the Beth memories I've collected over the years without thought. It's amazing what insight I gained into a person whose presence I took so for granted. This personally affected me on a deep level, and I feel that it would do so for anyone, whether or not they have their own Beth.

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.

Every night this week I could hardly wait to get in bed and pick up where I'd left off the night before in Rachel Simon's wonderful new book. What a story. What a family history! It's amazing that any of the four Simon siblings is even marginally functional. What a testament to the toughness and resilience of the human spirit. Sister Beth's joys are infectious, her limitations maddening. The surprise is not that Simon sometimes grows impatient with her sister, but that Simon handles her sister with such patience and forebearance so much of the time. Meanwhile, what a sweetheart Rick the bus driver is. And there's even a happy ending that's actually true. Simon's year of riding the bus with her sister, and her written account of that year, are both monumental achievements.