“The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal” by Jonathan Mooney

On the surface, Mooney’s “Short Bus” is a travelogue. Diagnosed with ADD in his youth and stigmatized by the trappings of Special Education (most notably, the short bus), he became determined to prove the nay-sayers wrong in their belief that his condition limited his possibilities in life. Graduating from Brown, he began a series of lectures around the country about the negative impact of labeling kids “learning disabled.” He received many letters and emails from those who had heard of him and he decided to refurbish a short bus and go around the country to visit them. This book is (sort-of) a compilation of his travels and those visits.

Lest you should think that this is just about ADD/LD, Jonathan visits people with ADD/ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, those who are gay and transgendered, a blind/deaf girl and a man with Asberger’s. As it turns out, the point is not the label but the feelings people associate with the label. Mr. Mooney makes it clear that he felt like a freak. He desperately seeks out other freaks either for a sense of belonging or to understand the elusive nature of normalcy. This is the real point of the book – Jonathan Mooney’s internal quest. He wants so badly to belong to an ideal of “regular.” From the perspective of someone who is out of their twenties, I found the ending predictable.

Strengths of the book have to do with Mr. Mooney’s stunning prose – his descriptions of settings not only allow the reader to “see” a place physically and emotionally, but it makes you want to go there. Even the drunken orgy of Nevada’s “Burning Man” takes on a fascinating hue here. The book is extremely wide-ranging (as is the travel of the bus, which follows no logical route) and while interesting, there are gaps. There is a rambling, jumbled quality to it that doesn’t make for a page turner. This, combined with a seemingly heavy-handed editor, makes the book feel like it doesn’t have flow. A great read if you want to sit down and digest a chapter here and there (as I did), but not one you can shoot through. Just as well. Jonathan’s observations of the world around him (and they are his version of things) are intriguing and take time to process.

Definitely a good pick for our school book-club, and a bravo to Mr. Mooney for daring to seek answers outside of his comfort zone. A great lesson for all.