Racing the Past

by Sis Deans

It's been two months since his dad's fatal accident, and eleven-year-old Ricky is still haunted by memories of violent beatings and hurtful words. The kids at school won't let him forget, either, and he's gotten into so many fights, he's on the edge of serious trouble. Ricky can walk away from taunts on the playground, but not when the kids corner him on the bus. So he comes up with a new way to get to school. Not only will he run every morning and afternoon-he'll race the bus. And one day he will leave the past behind-and win.

Genres: Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade

151 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2001

About the author

Sis Deans was born and raised in Maine, USA. She has won several regional awards, including the 1995 Main Chapbook Award. Sis now lives on a small farm in Maine with her husband and three daughters.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The best thing your father ever did for you was to get killed in a car accident."

Those words out of Bugsie incite Ricky into yet another fight, even though Ricky secretly agrees. Ricky's dad has left scars, both physical and emotional, on Ricky, his little brother Matt and their mother. Ricky makes a deal with the principal not to fight anymore if he promises not to call Ricky's mom, who has enough to worry about. So, instead of riding the bus, Ricky begins walking the three miles to and from school. But Bugsie continues to taunt both Ricky and Matt, so Ricky decides that he should just beat the bus home. As he begins trying to reach this goal, Ricky also begins to face some of the demons left by his father.

[Anna Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racing the Past by Sis Deans is featured on the NCSS Notable Social Trade Books for Young People. This story brings to life the horrors of an abusive household, but with a better ending. Ricky gets in trouble inside and outside of school, and feels as thought no one understands him. The story can be relatable to students who are going through this, by reading this book the students may open up to teacher or a trusted adult about their situation. This story's message is about coming of age and that you are never alone. It leaves a powerful message behind. In the classroom, teachers can read this book to their students and talk about what steps to take if a student themselves is in trouble, or if a friend is.

[Blaizden Hoffman]

Personal Response
I think this book was very enthusiastic and had a lot of character to it. There we a lot of similarities between the main character and I, but we also had many differences. This book was one of the best books have read in awhile because it shows a lot of the same things that happens to me, but it also shows things I don't do also. Racing the Past sounds like something that a lot of people have to do and I am one of them. When I saw this book on the shelf I thought it was about track, but the way i found out it wasn't was by taking a look inside the book and reading it.

Plot Summary
The book Racing the Past started out with the main character Ricky in the office. Ricky got into a fight with another boy named Bugsie. Bugsie thought he was all big and bad, but Ricky was the person that won't take anything that is offensive. So, Ricky and Bugsie fight their arguments out. Bugsie thought it would be funny to make fun of Ricky's dad because his dad died. Bugsie said that it was a good thing that his dad died. Ricky wouldn't take that so he started a fight. Ricky would make deals with the principal saying if the principal didn't tell his mom he would be good the rest of the year and things like that. Ricky was getting ready to go to his dads funeral and he looked out of the window and had a flash back to when his dad beat him. Bugsie and Ricky ride the same bus everyday and Ricky didn't like that. So, Ricky started to learn to run to school. Everyday Ricky would get farther and farther and once he got all the way he started to run everyday for the rest of the school year. Nearing the end of the book Ricky wanted to get off and race the bus. So he beat the bus fare and square and when the bus started leaving to drop the other kids off Bugsie flipped him off.

Recommendations
I would recommend this book for kids around 13-15 because this book has some swear words and has a lot of conflict that some kids under those ages really wouldn't understand. Also, if a kid under the age of 13 read it that child would probably not get what the book is trying to say. This book is really emotional because it talks about how Bugsie said that Ricky's dad deserved to die. Some more reasons that other children wouldn't get this book is because the book talks about when Ricky got beat and some kids wouldn't know what that meant. So the age group I personally think would be great for this book is ages 13-15.

[Cierra Wriddley · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you feel if your dad died and people at school is bullying you about it, in front of your little brother? Well this eleven year old boy Ricky gets tired of this boy name Bugsie McCarthy always does that and Ricky always fighting him.The genre is realistic fiction. My overall opinion of this book is that, I really like it because this boy don't want to fight no more, he is doing what is dad used to so he can leave the past and start something new, it will lead him to hope to be a better person.
The setting is at Ricky school. Ricky always do things at school. He exercise at the school black top to start his day. Ricky was getting bullied at school and on the bus, they always talked about his dad tragic death they thought that it's better for his dad death because some people are happy now, even though Ricky believed him they was saying it in front of his little brother(Matt) and Ricky got mad because of what they was doing, so Ricky started fighting. Ricky got into a fight with a bully named Bugsie McCarthy because what he kept repeating about his dad death in front of his little brother. So Ricky started fighting him. He was in the principal office again, it was is seventh time in the principal office because of fighting. The principal was going to call his mom but Ricky shouted "No" because she been through enough every since his father died. So Ricky promise the principal that he will give up recess and that when he get to school in the morning he will go straight into his class room if he don't call his mom. After that, days later Ricky wanted to run because he wants to finish what his father started and so running is a good idea to do.Ricky tell his bestfriend (Lyle Benson) and he doesn't think Ricky should do that because he thinks that people will make fun of him because he's not on the bus. But Ricky didnt care, he still wanted to do it. so now,everyday Ricky runs to school and from school. He is always the first one out the school, as he run across the black top to run home. When Bugsie and his friends see Ricky running, while they are on the bus, they make fun of him. Ricky doesn't care what they say now, he's working on himself to become a better person. But one day, one day when Ricky got his new sneakers Bugsie was making fun of him because he good new sneakers. "Your a thief, you probably stoled those shoes,"Bugsie lied. but actually they people that always be with Bugsie was done making fun of Ricky, they not on Bugsie side anymore. Dan Simmons and Norman(Bugsie friends) was done. Bugsie was mad. It was time for them to get on the bus and Bugsie told them, "Come on" They didn't listen. Dan picked up his book bag and told him ,"Beat the bus, Ricky". Ricky was happy, because he actually had people believing him. But then, when Ricky started running, he was running and he thought about all the hurtful words that Bugsie said to him, he started running faster to he can leave the past. As Ricky was running, he saw the bus and Bugsie group was pointing at him accept for Bugsie. Now Ricky is feeling good and Racing The Past. I chose Person vs Person because Ricky is getting bullied by Bugsie and his friend, he starts running to not think about it. The theme is that you shouldn't make fun of somebody about there dad death, and when they are starting to ignore you and leave you behind you should stop because they are trying to leave the past behind and you are making it so hard for them to do that.
A major event that changed the character is that when Ricky was in the principal office and when he explained that "He was going to call his mom." and that day Ricky became a better person. Ricky started running and people say something about him or his father he don't fight anymore like he used to. I like how Ricky changed into a better person, he really changed from the beginning to end. Ricky choose better because he would still get angry and be fighting Bugsie. He doesn't want to fight anymore, he doesn't want to be in the principal office anymore. He wants better and he did better. I like that in Ricky because he did something good not bad.
My favorite part was when Dan Simmons told Ricky to "Beat the bus." I like that part because I personally think that Dan was tired of bullying Ricky about his father death. I think that Dan don't like what he was doing because what if it was him and his dad died and people bull him about it, in front of his little brother. I don't think he wouldn't like that. So, he wanted Ricky not to suffer from what happened to his father.I think Dan actually had faith in him, he actually wanted Ricky to beat the bus, to be at better person in life. So for now on I think that Ricky would have a better life now, I think that he will be happy now.
I rate this book a 5 because no matter what Ricky was going through he stilled run to forget about everything. I recommend this book to people who always gets bullies from anything they doing in life or happened in life.They can always do what they love so they won't think about the past By now I think the Ricky should be happy because people is not with Bugsie anymore, they support Ricky now and they want Ricky so move on and leave the past in the past.

[Jill CD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the strong characters in this book that filled you with hope when there was a lot to despair. Definitely a YA for content and language but a good read.

[Rick Thirde · Rating 2 out of 5]

Describes life after the death of an abusive dad/husband for the wife and kids. But full of cussing and blasphemy, and a has a boring plot.

[Trenton Hicks · Rating 1 out of 5]

not good

[Driss Haddadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

March 22, 2015

Ricky had a very hard time forgetting his dad. First, the kids at school bully him. His friends at school bully him and doesn’t stop talking about Ricky’s dad, hitting him, and making fun of him. “‘Okay’, she finally said. ‘But if someone touches you again, I’ll be down to that school in a heartbeat” (Deans 31). Second, the pictures remind Ricky of him. His dad always beat him and he didn’t like that, there were also pictures of his dad at his house. To conclude Ricky has a hard time forgetting about his dad.

Ricky used a very good method to forget about his dad. First, running helps. He was always being bullied in the bus so he tried to run to school. Second, he always runs with the bus and outpaces him. “When he arrived, he noticed that none of the school buses were there, and realized he was very fast” (Deans 43). All in all, he used running as a method to forget about the kids bullying him.

Ricky hates some of his characteristics because his father had them. First, he has asthma. “‘I hate asthma’”(Deans 19). Second, naive and helping others. Ricky is very kind to everybody and sometimes is very naive. In conclusion, Ricky resembles his father in some things and he hates these things after his dad is dead.

March 29, 2015

As Haruki Murakami once said: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional”. Everyone passes through pain, but you’re not obliged to suffer. Ricky had the option to suffer. What suffer means in this book is running because running everyday for more than 1 mile is a lot and it’s suffering. Sis Deans wrote this book to show the people that Ricky suffered through his life and he persevered by running everyday to school because of bullying. People suffer, people to choose to, people suffer and Ricky suffered by running every single day to school.

People suffer, people to choose to, people suffer and Ricky suffered by running every single day to school. First, he ran everyday to school to avoid bullying. He ran everyday because his friends always insult him about his dad and bully him which no one likes to have. Second, he decided to suffer for his dad. “With a sight, he turned and looked at the long way ahead of him…” (Deans 22). To conclude, suffering relates to this paragraph because Ricky suffered by option to get away from the bullies.

Ricky is always racing the past, trying to forget. First, he is really scared. “ From when my dad is dead, I can’t forget him, neither his beatings” (Deans 10). Second, he always thinks about his mom. His mom is always talking about his dad, when he hears the name of his dad, he thinks about racing the past. All in all, he is always trying to race the past like the title of the book, and he took the option to suffer, to run.

Ricky is beginning to have some mental problems. First, his mom talks about his dad all the time. When he hears her talking about his dad, he gets scared and he started having some mental problems. Second, the bullies. His “friends” always bully which makes him have mental problems. “Ricky starts having some mental problems […] his mom, and the bullies are the main reasons…” (Deans 68). In conclusion, Ricky passes through some rough times and he still prefers to suffer by running.

People suffer, people to choose to, people suffer and Ricky suffered by running every single day to school. Ricky runs everyday to school because of the bullies to he decided to run everyday to school which is an option, the option to suffer. He also tries to race the past every single day because of his surroundings and hates everybody that make him think of his dad. He also began to have some mental problems because of his surroundings, family and now decides to take the option of suffering, running to school everyday. This can be related to circumstances today because many people suffer from this and always try to suffer, maybe not by running but by suicide and etc… We can learn from the author that life may be very difficult because everybody passes through pain and some decide to suffer.

[Mahmoud Al Masri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you look at the book cover, you will directly know that this book talks about the power of determination. That’s exactly what happened with Ricky Gordon, the main character in the book Racing the Past.
After Ricky’s dad died in a car accident, Ricky’s brain became full of memories about his dad. His dad’s death affected his personality towards his school. Every day, he gets in a fight with the students. So far, he had 7 fights! The principle told him that if he does one more fight, he will get into very serious consequences. Unfortunately, he did! Once he had the eighth fight, the principle was going to call Ricky’s mom, but Ricky begged the principle now to tell her, and he promised the principle that he will not do any fight.
From that time, Ricky decided not to have any more fight, especially in the bus. So he decided to go back home walking instead of going in the bus. But that wasn’t the important thing! Ricky decided to race the bus and win the race. Therefore, he attended running practices so he can improve his stamina and speed.
Now, Ricky has a great stamina, and he is a fast as the flash. Will Ricky’s stamina and speed help him with winning a hard 25 yards race? Read to find out.

[Souaad Asar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racing the past by Deans, Sis Boulos is about 6th grader boy names Ricky. He makes every effort to do the right thing. Even when he gets in trouble for fighting he begs the principal to not tell his mother. Ricky rode the same bus with the kid he fought and they always try to get him in trouble. Therefore, Ricky started to walk home from school. Ricky hated the look the kids gave him as they rode by on the bus. He decided to beat the bus home. After Training and training he was faster and faster until he was going to beat the bus. The book shows the power of a young boy and what he tries to overcome after the death of his abusive father. Ricky also tries to help his younger brother deal with his remaining fears and discovers that running helps him deal with his own anger and the taunts of a bullying classmate. This story is a lightheartedly realistic and appropriate for any readers. It includes real life situations for children who may have to deal with any kind of struggle in school or home.I really liked the book and that great story.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very realistic in it's delivery concerning the troubles and trials that kids have to endure when they inherit their family name. Young Ricky must tolerate the taunts that people use against him simply because of the family he comes from. He accidently learns that running is a release for not only him, but for others to finally see that Ricky is a individual with unlimited possibilities. There is some slight foul language but it is placed in realistic settings.This book was a pleasant surprise. I found myself really caring about Ricky and waiting to see how things would turn out for him. I also was beguiled with RIcky's taciturn neighbor, who also had more depth to his character than first meets the eye.

[Alex Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book called racing the past by sis deans is a book that is enjoyable to read and creates an important theme. In the book the antagonist called Ricky that tries to defend himself from bullies that bully him on the bus and at school.the book left me thinking about how ricky felt when he was getting bullied. i will recommend this book to someone that likes books that tell stories that start from having a problem to having a solution. The author creates a message that leaves the reader thinking about the charter ricky. know I leave the book to you so you can read it and see if you like it!!

[Duane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be very realistic in it's delivery concerning the troubles and trials that kids have to endure when they inherit their family name. Young Ricky must tolerate the taunts that people use against him simply because of the family he comes from. He accidently learns that running is a release for not only him, but for others to finally see that Ricky is a individual with unlimited possibilities. There is some slight foul language but it is placed in realistic settings.

[David Addison · Rating 1 out of 5]

BEWARE - This looks like a kids book, but it contains some bad language and a negative bullying theme. In fact, to my surprise, the bully gets his point across and basically wins in the end. Not the kind of message I want my son to read, considering the amount of bullying going on.

I'm sure reviewers love the writing, the story, etc. But, if you're a parent who is sensitive about what your son reads, pick a different book. Fortunately, there are tons more out there.

[Chloe baumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

my teacher read this book to us the last monthe of school and i really liked it! she cleaned up some of the language but some of it came up on her too fast and it was HILARIOUS!!! but the book was great!! i give it two thumbs up

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really inspiring. I read it back in 6th grade and I had to write a short story that compared to the views set out by Sis Deans. She is a really amazing author and a great person. While working with her on the story she explained how she came up with the idea to write Racing the Past.

[W W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise. I found myself really caring about Ricky and waiting to see how things would turn out for him. I also was beguiled with RIcky's taciturn neighbor, who also had more depth to his character than first meets the eye.

[Alexander Pattison · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very funny book personally, it was about a boy named Ricky Gordon, who is a middle school kid, and he gets bullied a lot, mainly on the bus. And he has really been through really hard times. So Ricky has to figure out how to live through things, and get around the bus.

[Literature3!Amateur · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't enjoy this book that much, he just kept going on about his past life. And nothing seemed to happen.

[Caren Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

My students will enjoy this book- lots of bullying, struggles with money and determination. Most of the book will be page turning for them The ending was weak.

[Cameron Reid Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about some tough stuff and how crating a good habit can be a life and reputation changer and can give us so much more in ways of opportunities in the future.

[Mercy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abuse, bullying. Well done- I like how the community changes as Ricky and his family change and start to thrive after the death of the abusive father

[♥Meaty♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It was pretty real and mature. I think that's why my L.A. teacher chose it.

[Tatyanarex]

I think that so far the book it pretty interesting considering what he going through I feel bad for the kid.

[Caitlin Ferriera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Daniel Z. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a really great that i read in the fifth grade and i missed it after reading it

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was one of the best books I've read this year