Rules of the Road

Rules Of The Road is a contemporary young adult novel by established author Joan Bauer, first published in 1998. It is the first book in the Rules of the Road series. The second book, Best Foot Forward, was published in 2005. Joan Bauer’s own complicated childhood with an alcohol-addicted father inspired Rules of the Road, which was met with critical acclaim. It won both the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Rules of the Road contains subject matter, situations, and language pertaining to alcoholism, drunk driving, death, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Plot Summary

The protagonist, 16-year-old Jenna Boller, lives in Chicago with her hard-working mother and younger sister Faith. Jenna’s grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, lives in a nursing home nearby. Jenna’s father Jim is addicted to alcohol and left the family over two years ago. At high school, Jenna is painfully self-conscious, feeling unseen and unsuccessful, but she has found her calling working as a “shoe professional” at Gladstone’s Shoe Store. In the store, Jenna is joyful, confident, and very successful at selling shoes.

One day, Jenna’s father shows up drunk to her work, shattering her mood and disrupting the customers. Jenna is embarrassed and humiliated, but she is also worried about her father. Jenna is sure the scene her father caused will get her fired, but instead Mrs. Gladstone, the elderly president of Gladstone’s Shoes, offers Jenna a job as her assistant and personal driver for a road-trip to a board meeting in Texas. Mrs. Gladstone has been watching Jenna and is impressed with her knowledge and dedication. Initially, Jenna is horrified at the idea; she is not a confident driver and would rather be selling shoes. She also worries about leaving her beloved grandmother, whom she visits every week.

However, after Mrs. Gladstone explains that it is only for six weeks and how much she’ll be paid, Jenna warms to the idea. Jenna’s father starts calling every day, drunk and obnoxious, so finally even Jenna’s mother, who wasn’t comfortable with Mrs. Gladstone’s job offer, agrees that Jenna needs a break, and the trip is on. After fond goodbyes to her mother, sister, grandmother, and friend Opal, Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone set off to Peoria. Here, they start their inspections of the many Gladstone’s Shoe Stores they’ll visit on their way to Texas. Mrs. Gladstone doesn’t give the stores much notice of their arrival, which allows Jenna to get a realistic impression of how the stores are run. As Mrs. Gladstone suspected, her son Elden, who is a major shareholder and wants to take over the company, has put profit over quality, which results in poorly managed stores and “shoddy merchandise.” Elden has aligned with a cut-price shoe store chain in a push to change the direction of Gladstone’s Shoes.

Mrs. Gladstone, who suffers from a painful hip, is on the verge of giving up, but Jenna (who understands the pain of betrayal from a loved one), encourages Mrs. Gladstone to fight for her company. In St. Louis, Jenna calls Harry Bender, a legendary shoe professional and close friend of Mrs. Gladstone, to get advice on how to deal with Elden. Elden insists on meeting with his mother, but with Harry’s support, Jenna manages to deflect him. Alice Lovett, an old friend of Mrs. Gladstone’s shows up to support her and joins Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone on their journey to Texas. They visit multiple Gladstone’s Shoe stores from Kansas City to Little Rock, and with Alice’s help, Mrs. Gladstone gains back both her strength and her resolve. Alice also helps Jenna gain self-confidence by giving her a complete hair and wardrobe makeover. In Dallas, Jenna meets Harry, who is not only a supreme salesman but he’s also recovering from an alcohol addiction and understands what Jenna is going through with her father. Jenna is smitten and wishes that Harry was her father instead of Jim.

Harry has a plan to secure a critical number of shareholder votes to keep Mrs. Gladstone in the company, but on the day of the meeting, Harry is killed in a head-on collision with a drunk driver. Crushed, Jenna and Mrs. Gladstone almost give up all hope. To make matters worse, when Jenna drives Mrs. Gladstone to the meeting, Jenna is promptly fired by Elden. Determined to vote with the 50 shares Mrs. Gladstone gave her as a “thank you,” Jenna finds a way into the meeting.

After Mrs. Gladstone announces her retirement, Jenna walks nervously onto the stage. She speaks from the heart, convincing many shareholders to write Mrs. Gladstone’s name on their ballots. Mrs. Gladstone gets to stay on the board of Gladstone’s Shoes and remains in complete control of quality. Elden is furious.

Back in Chicago, Jenna’s father pulls up alongside her as she’s walking and persuades her to get into his car. He is drunk and driving recklessly. Jenna is horrified and stops the car. Thinking about Harry Bender’s accident, Jenna reports her father to the police, who arrest him on charges of drunk driving. He loses his license and must do community service, but he still refuses to accept he is addicted to alcohol. Jenna finally tells him how she feels about his drinking and gives him an ultimatum: get help or leave her and her sister alone.

Jenna uses her earnings to buy a red car and takes her grandmother out for a long-awaited picnic. Jenna appreciates the strength and courage she gained on her trip to Texas, which finally enables her to process her relationship with her father. She realizes “it isn’t the problems along the way that make us or break us. It’s how we learn to stand and face them that makes the difference” (200).  Although not certain how the future will unfold, Jenna is sure she will survive and thrive.