Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I never went to school on a school bus. This was a “princess” problem for sure. In fact, I lived so far away from my private school that my mom had to drive me to another friend’s house just to catch the closest car pool. I then sat with my friend Liz’s family in Studio City and watched them eat breakfast until our car pool picked us up. This went on for four years. That was four years of school bus life I missed. I imagined on the yellow school bus people were sharing deep dark secrets, waging petty battles over snack foods, forming life long blood alliances, and - yes - even falling deeply in love. I imagined that the inside of a yellow school bus was a magical place. It turns out I was absolutely right. In the book “Eleanor and Park,” two teenagers meet on the school bus in Omaha during the mid-1980s. Their journey is one that epitomizes what first love should be all about: a connection with another person so deeply you can’t stand to be a part. It looks like author Rainbow Rowell is shaping up to be the Judy Blume of the post-millennial generation. She creates a pair of misfit teenagers as cool as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Eleanor is the stressed-out new kid in town with puffy bright red hair. Park is splintered over the fact he is half Korean, listens to the Smiths on his Walkman and feels awkward most of the time. They share a love of comic books and mixed tapes, as any ‘80s duo would. Rowell celebrates their differences the exact way differences should be celebrated. Park’s connection with Eleanor eventually gives her the courage to stand up to all kinds of big bullies, including her abusive stepfather. This book confirms my suspicion that we should all be reading more young adult fiction because these books tackle real life issues head on without any sugar-coated topping. My dad would say that this book is a reminder that Prince Charming doesn’t always come on a white horse and Cinderella sometimes wears a dress that is not Taffeta, nor periwinkle blue. My Prince Charming – named Jeff – used to enjoy a JELL-O pudding pop for breakfast as he walked to his bus stop in Connecticut. So I will just have to forever live vicariously through Jeff’s stories and this wonderful book. To purchase this book on Amazon please click here.