The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

The 57 Bus

by Dashka Slater

A New York Times Bestseller
Stonewall Book Award Winner--Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children's & Young Adult Literature Award
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist

One teenager in a skirt.
One teenager with a lighter.
One moment that changes both of their lives forever.

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 crime-plagued 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.

Reviewed by violetpeanut on

4 of 5 stars

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What a sad and thought-provoking book. It's written in the style of a documentary. There are interviews with various people, statistics, excerpts from blog posts and text messages. The author does a fantastic job of showing both sides of the story. This would be great classroom reading for students mature enough to understand and discuss the themes (gender, LGBTQ issues, juvenile crime, race issues, etc).

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 October, 2017: Finished reading
  • 22 October, 2017: Reviewed