Review of Many Rides, Many Stories

[Munmun Samanta]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Many Rides, Many Stories" by Rohit Srivastava.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Many Rides, Many Stories by Rohit Srivastava

Stories are everywhere in every animated heart. Stories are at every nook and corner. You only need to stir your creative pen to form the perfect shape. And "Many Rides, Many Stories" by Rohit Srivastava is the best example.
“Just the process of meeting so many different folks from different worlds seems fascinating.” page 11
Every new chapter introduces a new driver and a glimpse of a new life, a new story. In the course, Martina, Arthur, John, Chris, Hiba, Upasna, Abe, Amira, Smith, Razia and many more tell their stories. Everyone's story is unique. And everyone teaches me something invigorating in my way to finish the book. Their spirit for work and their tenacity not to negotiate with the wrongs of life astounded me. And driving Uber is more than earning money for the protagonists. Varied reasons provoked them to come into this job. Some stories are sad, some are full of fun. They view lives from different margins.

Some of the stories are snipped from the lives of African Americans who had to face constant racial abuses and bigotry. They had to take shelter in drugs and consequent vulnerabilities of life. The stories, represented by different persons highlight their social backgrounds, their religions, and their attitude to life. These stories are more than slices of the lives of strangers. They are our lives, and we can relate each Uber driver to the trajectory of individual human journeys. Here lies the authenticity and ingenuity of the author. His pen has done an excellent job of securing the stories that otherwise may remain untold and unknown. Every story incorporates challenging work, struggle, and determination in pursuing the dream.
If you wish to know, how an electrical engineering student can take Uber as her second side job apart from being a bartender as her first one, how a financial advisor of an investment company does Uber during late evenings, and sometimes early mornings, how a fearful heart breaks his spell of trauma by reinforcing his fear trap to redesign by facing it, how a professor of mathematics has taken uber driving as her side job to think her math problems and professional development more clearly, how being a Muslim woman one's life can be a ‘double jeopardy' (page 23) then this book will offer you more than these. There are numerous fascinating stories, delightful and entertaining. The editing is polished and professional. I found no reason to deduct any points. The book deserves our applause for interpreting a variety of lives. I rate this book 5 out of 5. But remember this is not the end of the book, this is just the beginning as the ride never stops, and so do the stories.
"The rides will continue and so will the stories." Page 97
And stories can be told from both the point of view of the driver and the rider.

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Many Rides, Many Stories
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[Sarah Zain]

This is the second time I've read a review of this book and it really looks like it will be an interesting read. Your review is refreshing Munmun, and full of details that encourage reading these stories. I loved reading it.