The Ride of Our Lives
Mike Leonard
(Reviewer - Rebecca Brown)
2006 Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345481488

Roadside Lessons of an American Family. A touching, hilarious & intimate look at one man's journey deep into the heart of his family.

Not everyone gets parents like Mike Leonard's: at 87, Jack's a pathological optimist with an inexhaustible gift of gab, while his bride of 60 years, Marge, is his polar opposite -- a premier pessimistic, though cut from the same rough bolt of Irish immigrant cloth. What was their son thinking when he took a sabbatical so he could pile these two world-class eccentrics along with three of his grown kids & a daughter-in-law into a pair of rented RVs & hit the road for a month?

Mike was thinking that he wanted to give his parents the ultimate family reunion. & so, one February morning, three generations of Leonards set out on their journey under the dazzling Arizona sky. Within half-an-hour, one of the humongous recreational vehicles has crunched its undercarriage on the concrete gas pump island of a convenience store. & so begins the adventure of a lifetime -— &an absolute gem of a book.

In the course of their humorous, often poignant cross-country tour, from the desert Southwest to the New England coastline, the Leonards reminisce about their loves, their losses, & their rich & heartwarming (& sometimes heartbreaking) lives, while encountering a veritable Greek chorus of roadside characters along the way. The home stretch finds the clan racing back to Chicago, hoping to catch the arrival of the next generation, Jack & Marge's first great-grandchild. Through it all, Mike pieces together a century of family lore & lunacy -- & discovers surprising tales of the parents that allow him to see them in a whole new light.

I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of Mike Leonard's journey with his parents: the physical trials & comedies of driving two huge RVs across America out of tourist season; the emotional engagement with both his parents & grown children; the recounting of how his parents enjoy each other's company after so long a marriage, as well as the memories of who they once were & the stories of his family. In some instances, the old saying: “You can't ever go home” rang out loud & clear, while in other instances, it was the best of medicine.

The Ride of Our Lives is a gladsome gift (complete with DVD) with much to teach & much to relish, which I hope will inspire you to take another look at your parents & perhaps plan a journey of discovery with them.

Mike Leonard has been entertaining us for decades with his video features that regularly appear on NBC's morning show Today. Now he brings that same engaging charm & keen insight to the foibles & passions of his own blessedly unique family with laughs, lessons, & priceless memories. He & his wife, Cathy, are the parents of two daughters & two sons.

Do catch my Interview with this delightful Today Show reporter.
(07/02/06)

Rebecca