The 57 Bus
Books | Young Adult Nonfiction / LGBTQ
4.3
(1.1K)
Dashka Slater
A NEW YORK TIMES BestsellerStonewall Book Award WinnerA TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All TimeYALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults FinalistA Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book WinnerA Los Angeles Times Book Prize FinalistA Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the 21st Century (So Far) The riveting New York Times bestseller and Stonewall Book Award winner that will make you rethink all you know about race, class, gender, crime, and punishment. Artfully, compassionately, and expertly told, Dashka Slater's The 57 Bus is a must-read nonfiction book that chronicles the true story of an agender teen who was set on fire by another teen while riding a bus in Oakland, California.Two ends of the same line. Two sides of the same crime.If it weren’t for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a Black teen, lived in the economically challenged flatlands and attended a large public one.Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight. But in The 57 Bus, award-winning journalist Dashka Slater shows that what might at first seem like a simple matter of right and wrong, justice and injustice, victim and criminal, is something more complicated—and far more heartbreaking.Don’t miss Dashka Slater’s newest propulsive and thought-provoking nonfiction book, Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Winner which National Book Award winner Ibram X. Kendi hails as “powerful, timely, and delicately written.”
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Author
Dashka Slater
Pages
224
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Published Date
2017-10-17
ISBN
0374303258 9780374303259
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"
A Broke Book Buyer
"This is a nonfiction book that is a must read. This is about HATE, ignorance, and peer pressure and then learning from it and growing from it. I think the more people that read this book, the more that will see the consequences of hateful actions or even hateful behavior or speech. One moment, one person can do more harm than you can realize (even as a young adult). I hope this will help to bridge the gaps of difference, ineptitude and will help others to understand how hard it is for those who are still struggling to find themselves."
Stefani Marie
"Very readable and accessible non-fiction. The author treats both with no judgment which makes for a very compelling read."
DaRo reads
"I enjoyed how well the storyline went and that there are many issues with racism involved and it was a good story about how a person heals and how the two sides of the people involved were told"
Teslacobra
"The first time I read this book I was in 8th grade and I thought this book was very good both times I read it. I thought it put out a good message for the whole story especially showing both sides. It was a very important read for me the first time I read it, and I think it’s an important book for lgbtq youth. "
Lo🫧
"I actually didn’t get to read too much of it because it was a book that my teacher lent me but from what little I read, I’d say it’s worth it! "
Liza
"As a transgender POC I could definitely relate and understand a lot of the issues faced in this. It opened up a new understanding for me aswell "
Mars Gonzalez
"Quick and engaging. An interesting peek into the adolescent brain, the juvenile system and the privilege divide on many levels. Crime has a voice here, but also and echo. Teared up once or twice."
tinyhouse bigreads
"3.4 ⭐️<br/><br/>People suck but also people are great and capable of forgiveness and redemption but wow do people suck."
Eric Cash
"The 57 Bus" is a powerful true story that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with a range of emotions. The story revolves around two teenagers, Sasha and Richard, who come from different backgrounds and have had very different life experiences. Sasha, a gender non-binary student, is white and goes to a private school in Oakland, California, while Richard, who is black, attends a public school in the same city. One day, while they were both on the 57 bus, Richard does something that changes their lives forever - he sets Sasha's skirt on fire while they are sleeping. This event becomes national news and the book takes you through the events leading up to it, the aftermath, and the impact it had on everyone involved.
Dashka Slater's writing is truly exceptional as she skillfully brings together a range of sources, including interviews, news articles, and court transcripts, to create a compelling and empathetic depiction of Sasha and Richard's experiences. Through their story, the book offers an insightful examination of the intricate and often difficult issues surrounding identity, race, class, and gender that are so relevant in today's society.
While "The 57 Bus" may be a difficult book to read, it is undeniably a crucial one. It encourages readers to take a closer look at their own preconceptions and prejudices and to confront the harsh truths of social injustice that exist in our world. However, despite the heavy subject matter, the book ultimately offers a message of hope and resilience. It shows that even in the midst of tragedy, empathy, compassion, and forgiveness can triumph, shining a light on the better aspects of humanity.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about this incident and exploring the complexities of the people involved. "
Jesse Bures
