Bus girl

the long version

Written over the course of several decades, Bus Girl is a thought-provoking, often humorous, collection of poems from a woman born with Down syndrome. With passages beginning in early adulthood, we read of Gretchen's development as she matures from parental dependence toward independence and adult relationships. Her experiences working in the Denver Dry Goods retail store as a bus girl in the tea room from the core of this book; this is her sense of belonging and fitting into a world where she found purpose and success. When the store closes and Gretchen loses her job as a bus girl it becomes immediately apparent how important a sense of purpose and achievement is to us all. Bus Girl provides a clear-eye view of what it is to see the world through the tens of a perceptive young woman who despite her disability, is determined not only to be heard, but ultimately, to prevail.