Bus People: 30 Days on the Road with America's Nomads

by Mike Pentecost

Have you ever ridden on a Greyhound Bus? If you have, this book will bring back some memories. If you haven't, prepare to hop alongside new author Mike Pentecost and join him for this 30 day adventure around America. Bus People: 30 Days on the Road with America's Nomads is a compelling look at life on the bus. Witty, compassionate and revealing, Bus People affords you the opportunity to get better connected with a community of people who live their lives in transition. The bus symbolizes hope and new beginnings for many. But, it is an uncomfortable, inconvenient and unpredictable mode of travel. Bus People focuses on the stories, the hopes, dreams and despair that accompany the 18 million passengers that Greyhound serves each year. Come along for the ride!

Genres: Book Club

262 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2012

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the concept behind the book. Buy a 30 day Greyhound pass, ride the road, meet interesting characters and write about them and life on the bus. It reminded me a little of Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed" but a bit more fast pased and entertaining.
The book totally met my expectations from a social/science read, but as a bonus it was so entertaining that every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Best of both worlds!

[Jobie · Rating 4 out of 5]

America's nomads... that's where they've gone. Off on Greyhound Bus routes. Escaping one life and trading it in for another. A symphony of lost souls, addicts, felons, & the redeemed. A perpetual "first day of school mating ritual," with each new leg of the journey. We get to read into the snippets of their lives as told by the author. These individual tales appear to be mostly contrived just to pass the time on a leg of a bus trip. Sad to think that their real circumstances could be even worse than their stories. This book gave me a few emotions; lonely, sad, protected, safe, solid, and grateful.

[Lindsey Kimery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rode a Greyhound Bus in the mid-80s with my grandmother, one way, for one hour, from Shelbyville, TN, to Nashville. Author Mike Pentecost didn't have my grandmother to load him up with snacks and engage him in a book so he didn't notice what all was going on around him. Mike meets some very colorful characters on his 30 day roundtrip journey across the country. I like how everyone he meets is filled with hope that somewhere further down the road will be better, and I feel like I got to know these people, too, and I hope they find what they are looking for.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike wrote a book that helps you see the best in others. So many of the people he met have hope that their journey will be a change for the better, and because Mike brings the people to life on the page, I wish them the best in their journeys and wonder what happened to them after they got off the bus. Everytime I hear the phrase "I've seen it all" I will think of this book. Hope Mike continues to write more books!

[Josh Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a well written book. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's simple, direct and gets to the point. The author just tells us what he sees and hears, and on a greyhound that's more than enough. I imagine there's the potential for a more skilled author to weave in American history or maybe insights into the current economy, like Bryson did in "walk in the woods" but that's not what this book is.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I really enjoyed it and my guess is I'll read it again at some point. I haven't taken the bus in 20 years and this book both makes me want to get on one and assures me that I'm better off driving my own car or flying. There is a whole world going on out there on the road that most of us forget about or have no idea is going on.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick easy read that makes you value the people around you. Mike has a wonderful way of digging into the stories of people, finding the inherent worth of them, and taking you along for the ride. He shares the landscape of our nation while delving into the tragedies and triumphs of the people he is sitting with while on the bus.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved reading about the many people the author,Mike Pentecost, met during his Greyhound Bus adventure across the USA. The author has done a wonderful job of capturing his reaching out to people from many walks of life; how he would share with them, their life stories, and a few unexpected events that keep you involved from the beginning to the end of his travels.

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. A friend of mine told me to read this and I thought it might be interesting but it turned out to be quite the page turner. Bus People made me think and entertained me at the same time. I would highly recommend it!

[That Time of the Month (Melanie Vare) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bus People is such a lovely read. Mike's humor is the best—subtle yet spot on! I felt like I was another passenger on the bus eavesdropping on the author's conversations with a very colorful cast of characters. Bus People is a great adventure, one I highly recommend y'all take!

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some entertaining stories and a good message about what we take for granted but I just could not get into this book. It was just story after story about people he met and I had a hard time keeping track of the people and the switching around. It was a nice quick read though.

[Bannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book with great stories. Well worth the read.

[Judy Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Very good analogies. interesting read about a trip few of us will ever experience.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute, quick, light read. It was really interesting.