Driving Miss Norma

Starred review from March 27, 2017
At 90, Bauerschmidt, newly widowed, was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Instead of having surgery and enduring months of recovery, she opted to join her retired son, Tim, and daughter-in-law, Ramie, on a grand adventure as they cruise the U.S. in their “mobile assisted living home.” For the first time, as Bauerschmidt writes in this endearing memoir, they got to know one another as adults, and their trip transformed into a warm, thoughtful, and meaningful conversation on family, aging, caretaking, and what happens when you look to other ways to heal besides Western medicine. Along the way, they encountered tremendous interest and kindness from strangers who learned about Norma through Facebook updates and a CBS segment. The trio were feted at parades and treated to home-cooked meals, and they celebrated Norma’s birthday with courtside seats at an NBA game. The months on the road were nourishing for Norma, who saw some of her symptoms disappear, and also very therapeutic for Tim and Ramie, who had led itinerant lives free of obligations for years. Tim, Ramie, and Norma’s travels are joyful and moving; it’s no surprise that their story that has gotten international coverage and touched more than a half million fans. Norma’s willingness to be fearless and open to whatever comes her way, even trying cannabis cream, offers profound insights into how we choose to live.

March 15, 2017
A traveler/retiree's account of the lessons he learned about living well from touring the country with his dying nonagenarian mother.Bauerschmidt and his wife, Liddle, loved their nomadic travel-trailer lifestyle for the -simplicity and clarity- it offered them. But they also worried about what would happen to his aging parents when they could no longer take care of themselves. After his father's sudden death from organ failure, he learned that his mother, Norma, was dying of cancer. Certain only that Norma deserved to experience happiness, he accepted the challenge of caring for his mother on the open road. In chapters that alternate between Bauerschmidt's and Liddle's voices, the book follows the trio along a route that took them from Norma's home in Michigan all across America. Almost immediately, living together in close quarters changed them and how they treated each other. The formality and distance that had characterized Bauerschmidt's relationship with his mother dissipated. Made newly vulnerable, he became closer to her and was able to grieve the death of a younger sister he had lost years before. Meanwhile, Norma's shyness and stoicism gave way to joy. She learned to revel in experiences that included everything from watching Yellowstone geysers in Wyoming and an Indian tribal dance in New Mexico to trying a cannabis-based pain-relieving cream in Colorado and hot-air ballooning in Florida. Liddle, a woman who had been used to serving large communities, found unexpected reward in the renewed sense of purpose Norma gave her. The openness that characterized their relationship allowed all three to be at peace with Norma's ultimate decision to discontinue all medical assistance and -die a natural death [and not deal] with the side effects of medication, or being hooked up to artificial means.- Depicting the ageless human capacity to learn and grow, the author celebrates life and offers a heartfelt vision of what dying a good death really means. An uplifting and life-affirming memoir.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from May 1, 2017
At 90, Norma is diagnosed with cancer and given a choice: intensive chemotherapy and surgery or a motor-home road trip with her son, Tim, and partner, Ramie. Norma takes the road trip. Veteran travelers Tim and Ramie swap their small RV for a bigger model, and the three, plus dog Ringo, set out to tour the country and fill Norma's remaining time with adventures. Tim and Ramie alternate chapters chronicling the journey that begins in Michigan, loops around the South, up the East Coast, and ends a year later in Washington. Norma visits museums, flies in a hot air balloon, sees wildlife, explores national parks, and meets new friends. Faithfully posted on Facebook, her story attracts legions of fans whose enthusiasm carries Miss Norma to Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade, top hotels, and TV appearances. Tim and Ramie are reluctant at first to embrace Miss Norma's popularity, but her beaming smile and delight win them over. Along the way, they all learn more about fear, grief, and love. This is a delightful chronicle of a family determined to celebrate life rather than dread death, and everyone can learn from their courage.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)