The Short Bus

I loved this book. The Short Bus tells of Mooney's coast to coast trip across American is a short, yellow bus interviewing special needs individuals. As the trip progresses he not only details the unique and inspirational people he meets, but also develops his own philosophy of what it means to be labeled "special needs" in American. He gives an enlightening history and background to the plight of those who struggle with being a special needs learner in America in the past 100 years. Mooney himself was designated a special needs learner as a child and articulates his own struggle then and now with that label. This book is insightful and thought provoking. It is also a fun read as the reader travels across the country on this unlikely adventure. I highly recommend this book.

I had the pleasure of hearing mr. Mooney address the freshman class at university of Idaho this week. His book is the "common read" selection for this year for U of I. I read his book and was very glad my son is attending a school that is supporting the ideas expressed in this excellent story. Please read this book. It will let give you the gift of a new perspective on education, human dignity and how we as a society define normal (and the price we pay for that ridgid definition). Mike

So this book came highly recommended and was also mandatory reading material for my major. Personally I did not feel as though the ideas were all that new, wild, or enlightening. But then again, I am from Olympia... so I guess "weird" is not that weird to me. Now that I live in NYC I am surprises at how bland and narrow minded people can be, even in a huge and "progressive" city. Apparently not everyone appreciates individuality. The book is a good read with some interesting characters. I just didn't feel like it was as epic and transcending as some people indicated to me. I thought he was actually pretty "normal" all along.

this book was something assigned for on of my junior college lvl classes. we had to read to get a feel for an aspect of how people perceive disability in society. i think that the unique perspective of the author brings some real insight to how people in and out of the disability "community" if you would react to each other. this my be only one perspective but it is one that was well thought out. worth the read to broaden your vision if the topic of disability is new to you.

As a special education teacher, I was very excited to read this book. As much as we love and accept our students for who they are, its often hard to see and understand life through their eyes. I thought this book may help me do so and provide me with relatable experiences, but it did not live up to my expectations. It was a good story overall ... but was a slow read.

I was assigned this book for one of my Special Education courses and it made me laugh and brought me to tears. I loved every page of this book. It shows you how incredible these students are and that everyone has a story worth telling.

I read "Learning Outside the Lines" years ago when my son was young. Regardless of what teachers say, the life of a child who learns differently is a miserable life. Like teachers say, the best 3 things about school are June, July, and August vacation. This book will help open up the dialog between teachers and their "unusual" students. It's no great sin to be learning (teaching) disabled, but it's no great honor, either, especially in the public school system whose main goal is to treat everyone the same. If there is trouble in that, it's not THEIR problem...they choose to place the blame solely on the young child who ends up feeling defective. How great that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger...

Good Book. Gives a lot of depth to how people with disabilities think and live. There is a little bit of bad language in it. Would not reccommend for children.

Ein sehr lohnenswertes Buch, besonders interessant für alle Eltern und Menschen, die pädagogisch arbeiten. Man wird auf humorvoller aber ehrlicher Weise dazu motiviert, ja gezwungen, die eigenen Vorstellungen von ‚normal sein‘ kritisch zu reflektieren.

I have a grandson with ADHD and I see him in this book in so many ways, Its helpful to understand why his uniqness doesnt have to be a negative. we need to help him find his path to embrace whats different. Schools are harming these kids. i loved this book

This book certainly has nuggets of gold, but the amount of excess, empty content in this book damages it. It is a very chatty narrative, as one review puts it on the back page. That's exactly right: it's too chatty. That being said, it offers excellent insight into the lives of people who are different, and not just for learning disabilities. It creates empathy and understanding, showing us the value in everyone regardless of whether they fit into our typical molds of "intelligent" or "hard-working". I feel like someone who never did fit in as a child for other reasons, and it's great to hear from someone who had similar experiences. Being different as a kid has profound effects, and what's complex is that kids don't want to lose themselves in the process of fitting in. That's absolutely right. Good on him for standing up for the weird kids, the different kids! Good on him for accepting himself and writing this book. it's empowering! It's a good book, but to really get value out of it, I encourage you to skim and skim throughout it, stopping at every chunk of gold. Because like I said, there is a lot of excess, unnecessary content.

Jonathan Mooney takes us with him on a road trip to seek out normalcy.... only to find that abnormal is normal! I love this book! I love this author. It will make you think about what you think... I always appreciate that.

This arrived in pristine condition and was a gift for my mother. She is enjoying it.