They might even thank you! I just finished reading this beautifully written and truly gripping, personal memoir. I must tell you, it was difficult to put down. There are scenes where my heart nearly stopped. He supports his mother and younger hemophiliac brother, then leaves to find his future and pursue his dreams. It was hard to imagine how in the world this young man ever managed to keep his wits, his sense of humor, and his focus on the future. You realize early on, nobody was going to stop him… nobody!
There are moments where you will laugh out loud, and moments where you will close your eyes and cry. There was no quit in this young him. That determination, along with his brutal honesty, brave integrity, and unbounded compassion make his memoir a handbook for survival and an inspiration for pursuing our dreams. I am proud to call him a friend.
Definitely a must read! A non-stop story of courage and ambition in the face of relentless adversity. Ticket to Ride will make a great inspirational movie. His courage and determination enabled him to escape the poverty and abuse of his early years and achieve the American Dream. A rich tale of triumph over disaster. None of these questions are really dealt with. There are a few pages of generally superficial comments in the afterword, and that's about it. During the bulk of the book he carries a big chip on his shoulder, one which he seems to be justified in keeping when writing of things that happened 40 years ago.
People who treated him wrongly, and it would be debatable that they did so, remain clearly in the wrong. One example has to do with his entry into college and his SAT scores being too low. He reports a discussion with the dean, whom he characterizes in somewhat unflattering terms. I can understand having those types of feelings at the time the event happened but I am baffled as to why 40 years later he would continue to see that event in that way.
He discusses his college romance in a similar fashion. It seemed to be a vibrant relationship for several years, one that was moving towards marriage. But it cracked, and ended, an ending which I'm sure was painful all the way around.
And it would seem that the pain from that relationship continues to be felt in a real way today. I don't get it. I don't get hanging on to wounds from so long ago.
Ellis Island National Monument
And, in the end, that is why I don't really find anything in this book to commend it to anyone else, particularly in the fashion of the recommendation on the back cover. It is not the story of someone who made it, against all odds.
It is the story of someone who made it but hasn't learned what to leave behind from the journey. This is a good read, sort of like a coming of age novel but it's for real. A teenager with few prospects but a yankee's sense of perseverance drops out of school and seeks his way totally on his own.
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With not much help from family and no real friends for moral support and guidance the author makes his way to find his way, to a life many of us take for granted. The book is really about optimism and human spirit. It shows us the American Dream is alive and out there all one has to do is find a way, use one's head and take advantage of opportunities. Don Hussey was able to find some stability and room to grow with a stint in the service and subsequently at a small midwestern college.
Along the way he kept his focus on what he needed to survive as well as improve his lot. I really enjoyed the chapters detailing his college experiences and was astounded how he did all this for so little money working summers and a school jobs. He gets his first real girlfriend, make real friends, runs for student government, joins a fraternity and finds himself entering mainstream America, learning many life lessons as well as his academic education.
He suffers a terrible setback but continues to optimistically confront and conquer the obstacles life presents. I don't want to give much of it away because as I said it reads like a work of fiction. I will say that it brings to mind the old adage that a big part of one's success can be achieved by just showing up.
That is certainly true in this man's case but he showed up with that optimistic, I can do this, and I must do this attitude.
Ticket to Ride: The Promise of America by Don Hussey
It also seems that he had some pretty good times mixed in to provide the reader with some light momments as well. Don has presented his memoirs in a fascinating way. His early life was described in a way which many might be reluctant to continue. You might want to consider this spell binding book as a part of your reread collection. His description of a horrific accident leaves one wondering about what life dealt him.
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But the author involves you in such a way that one will always remember Don as a very successful man even though he had such s difficult life. This is the first book I have read in a very long time from front to back.
Ticket to Ride: The Promise of America
Don Hussey is truly a remarkable man that should inspire all to excel in life. This book should be made mandatory to read in all high schools. If everyone had the dogged determination that Mr. Hussey had and has this country would be in a much better state. This book had me riding on the seat of my pants the whole way and I did not want it to end. I look forward to reading his next book. On a personal note I had the honor of serving with his son to which the book was dedicated. I would gladly follow his son into combat again. The immigrants were then assembled into groups of 30, according to manifest numbers, and were packed on the top decks of barges while their baggage was piled on the lower decks.
When they finally landed, with the ground still swaying like waves beneath their feet and the shrill shouts of a dozen different languages assaulting their ears, they met their first American, a nameless interpreter. In retrospect, it may be that these interpreters were the unsung heroes of the entire immigration screening process. Their patience and skill frequently helped save an immigrant from deportation. The average number of languages spoken by an interpreter was six, but a dozen languages including dialects was not uncommon.
The record for a single interpreter was 15 languages. Interpreters led groups through the main doorway and directed them up a steep stairway to the Registry Room. Although they did not realize it, the immigrants were already taking their first test: The doctor held a piece of chalk. On about two out of every ten or 11 immigrants who passed, he would scrawl a large white letter; that letter indicated whether or not that immigrant was to be detained for further medical inspection. Should an immigrant be suspected of mental defects, an X was marked high on the front of the right shoulder; an X within a circle meant some definite symptom had been detected.
B indicated possible back problems; Pg, pregnancy; Sc, a scalp infection; and so on. If an immigrant was marked, he or she continued with the process and then was directed to rooms set aside for further examination. Sometimes whole groups would be made to bathe with disinfectant solutions before being cleared—not too surprising, considering how many were unable to bathe during the crossing.
Again the line moved on. More than half of the medical detentions were because of this disease, and its discovery meant certain deportation. If immigrants had any of the diseases proscribed by the immigration laws, or were too ill or feeble-minded to earn a living, they would be deported. Sick children age 12 or older were sent back to Europe alone and were released in the port from which they had come. Children younger than 12 had to be accompanied by a parent.
There were many tearful scenes as families with a sick child decided who would go and who would stay. This questioning process was designed to verify the 31 items of information contained on the manifest. In total, about 20 percent of those arriving at Ellis Island were detained for medical treatment or a legal hearing; the rest were free to go after only a few hours. Only two percent of the immigrants seeking refuge in America would fail to be admitted. Those with landing cards pinned on their clothes next moved to the Money Exchange. For immigrants traveling to cities or towns beyond New York City, the next stop was the railroad ticket office, where a dozen agents collectively sold as many as 25 tickets per minute on the busiest days.
Immigrants could wait in areas marked for each independent railroad line in the ferry terminal. Immigrants going to New England went on the ferry to Manhattan. All that remained was to make arrangements for their trunks, which were stored in the Baggage Room, to be sent on to their final destinations. For many it had begun months or even years before. Some, of course, still had more traveling ahead of them—to the rocky shores of New England, to the great plains of the Midwest or to the orange groves of California.
Leaving Home For many, it was a family affair. On Board There were three types of accommodations on the ships that brought immigrants to America: