Riding in Cars with Boys

“Riding In Cars With Boys” By Beverly Donofrio is a book about a teenage mother who, as her son grows up, learns how to be a mother and an adult. It was made into a major motion picture staring Drew Barrymore.

Beverly Donofrio didn’t only hang out with hoods, she was a hood. When she found out she wouldn’t be able to attend college she threw everything away. She was only interested in getting drunk, high, and riding around in cars. She broke the law whenever she could, but one night she took it to far, she got pregnant. The father was her current boyfriend, Raymond, who had dropped out of high school to buy a car. That says it all.

When Beverly found out she was pregnant and told Raymond they both agreed the best option would be getting married. Raymond started getting into drugs worse then the pot they did every night, and then Bev found out he had spent all of their money she had saved and was hiding that he had lost his job. Needless to say their marriage didn’t last. So what happens when Bev finds herself starting college and raising a child? Read and find out!

To be honest, the only reason I even picked up this book was because I had nothing else to read, it was the only book in our house that I hadn’t read yet. At first it was okay but slowly got worse and worse. I remember several moments in the book were I absolutely hated the main character, Bev. I thought she was stupid and incompetent but as I read farther and farther and followed her growing up I started understanding. As she becomes an adult she realizes all the things she’s done wrong, she makes good friends and becomes a great young women. I grew to respect her and I was sad when I finally finished the book. I loved going through all the hard times with Bev and in the end I really liked the book.

I would recommend this book to people with patience and understanding. It’s a great book to read, and once you’re finished you’ll have a changed perspective on single mothers and life in the 1960’s and 1970’s.