Individuals are often forced into making impossible journeys requiring immense fortitude, strength, and sheer force of will. In Richard D. Bank’s novel, The Bus Ride, we find sixteen-year-old Lou Bank bravely taking part in this type of impossible journey. Racing against the clock, Lou must take a cross-country bus ride from Los-Angeles to Philadelphia to see his dying father one last time. During his journey to Philadelphia, Lou is faced with fear, uncertainty, and hunger but faces each obstacle bravely.

Lou Bank is the author’s father, and the fact that The Bus Ride is based on a true story makes it even more compelling. Filled with detailed and intricate world-building and exquisitely written prose, we are transported back to the early 1930s and witness the struggles and triumphs of the Bank family. As with other well-documented and skillfully written stories of the early 20^th century, this story will have you rooting for the victory of one of the members of the greatest generation.  

The Bus Ride is also an ode to the immigrant experience. When you’re new to a nation as the Bank family was, your parents and sibling(s) will oftentimes be all that you have. The interdependence and love between members of the Bank family is heart-warming. As a first-generation immigrant, reading this book was a moving and meaningful experience.  

Bank’s books, The Bus Ride, The Tree of Sorrow, and I Am Terezin are available through Auctus Publishers and can be purchased at www.barnesandnobles.com and other retailers where books are sold.