The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

The 57 Bus is a rare achievement. It takes a horrific, headline-grabbing incident—a teenager setting another teen's skirt on fire on a public bus—and peels back the layers to show the human beings on both sides of the flame. Why this stands out: Objective Reporting: Dashka Slater doesn't tell you what to think; she gives you the facts, the history of Oakland, the nuances of the juvenile justice system, and the backgrounds of both Sasha and Richard. Complex Themes: It explores gender identity, race, class, and the "school-to-prison pipeline" without ever feeling like a lecture. It’s a page-turner that also makes you pause and reflect on every page. Restorative Justice: The exploration of whether "punishment" equals "justice" is handled with incredible care. Don’t Stop Here: If you find yourself moved by Slater’s storytelling, I highly recommend her other book, Accountable. It handles similarly difficult themes regarding social media and teen accountability with the same journalistic rigor and heart.

The 57 Bus is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. Dashka Slater tells the true story of two teenagers in Oakland whose lives collide on a city bus—Sasha, a white nonbinary student, and Richard, a Black teen from a very different background. One split-second decision changes everything for both of them. What I appreciated most is that this isn’t just about the crime itself. The author takes time to show the humanity of both kids—their families, their struggles, and their hopes for the future. It made me think deeply about issues like race, gender identity, privilege, forgiveness, and what real justice looks like. The chapters are short and easy to follow, so even with such heavy topics, it never feels overwhelming. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and at times heartbreaking, but also full of compassion and nuance. If you like true stories that make you reflect and see the world differently, this book is absolutely worth reading.

The book was good quality, no ripped or folded over pages. The dust jacket had a nice feel to it and I enjoyed reading the physical book. As far as the story goes, it's a research type story. It seems that this is based on a true story (I didn't know anything of it when I purchased it). The book reads well if you like non-fiction. If you don't like stories about teens who are questioning their gender and identity, you probably won't like this book. But, if you want to educate yourself or just read a story about how kids feel/handle peer pressure, this is a good little dive into reality. It takes place in the 21st century and tells the story from both teens points of view. It researches their background and gives the reader a dive into the emotions of those directly and indirectly involved. Did all of the interviews and tidbits relate to the story? Yes. Did the book flow as well as a fiction or historical fiction? No. Am I likely to read this again? Probably not. Would I recommend this to a friend? Only if they were interested in this topic. There are some recollections of the violence that took place and could be a trigger for teens or adults. I would not recommend it to a pre-teen, but would recommend it to a teen or adult.

This is a true story that took place in 2013. It explores many issues and how they are handled. Sasha is an agender, autistic teen who likes wearing skirts. Richard is a teen who decides to set Sasha’s skirt on fire while they are sleeping. It was meant to be a prank. Many things played a role in the sentence that Richard was given. The actual event was horrific no matter what gender. However, when you look at all the facts several things come to mind. So let me start by saying that the incident, no matter what race or gender the victim and perpetrator were needed to be punished. When reading the book I noticed a couple of things in particular. The first thing I noticed was that Sasha was white and Richard was African American. The second thing we notice is their gender identification and their financial status. When you read a book and the victim’s family stands up for the person accused of the crime and it is ignored then you have to imagine something is wrong with the system. Richard is questions without a lawyer and makes statements that paint him as homophobic. Due to this and other circumstances he is tried as an adult. Yes I do believe what he did was wrong on so many levels. Do I believe he should have been tried as an adult? No. This crime changed both lives. By the press and everyone involved focusing on race and gender there was a lot of bias found in this case. The author brings a human side to the story. By telling what happened to both teens and telling us both sides of the story we get a better picture of the humans these two are. So often the news takes a story and puts their own slant on it to fit the politics of the time. I can’t have it on my shelves, but I can sure recommend students check it out from their local library.

There is depth to every character and every perspective. The story telling is well done. A a a a a

I read this in a day. . . It's a quick read, it's sad. . . I think if you want to know about this story, there's probably more honest dipictions. I feel like, with this book, they give the perpetrator of this crime a lot of "outs". I acknowledge that both were young, but ignore the fact it was a hate crime. . . Seems more than a bit dishonest. And just the facts of the case, it wasn't a hate crime in the way it's dipicted either so. . .

Passt

クラスの指定読書で購入しましたがとても内容が濃かった。LGBTQの方々の葛藤や学校で問題児と呼ばれてしまう生徒の背景など様々なことを学べる良い本だとおもいます。

Just like the book I read previously of the same author, content is organised in similar ways, presenting multiple perspectives of people or of an organisation. An easy but not light read. It does make me think! It's like watching/reading a documentary on paper.

i didn't enjoyed this book at all. i bought this book expecting to learn about the crime and and most of everything was about gender association.I don't recommend this book for anybody, especially for teenagers.

The 57 Bus es un libro impactante y profundamente humano. Narra la historia real de dos adolescentes de Oakland cuyos destinos se cruzan en un solo minuto dentro de un autobús, cambiando sus vidas para siempre. Lo que comienza como un incidente violento se convierte en una reflexión sobre identidad, justicia, raza, género y segundas oportunidades. El estilo narrativo es claro y atrapante: combina hechos periodísticos con un tono cercano que hace que la lectura sea ágil pero también muy emotiva. Aporta múltiples perspectivas —desde la víctima, el agresor, las familias y el sistema judicial— lo que permite comprender la complejidad del caso sin caer en juicios simplistas. Además, el libro abre un espacio de reflexión sobre temas actuales como la justicia restaurativa, la empatía y la diversidad de género. Es ideal tanto para jóvenes como para adultos, ya que invita a cuestionar prejuicios y a entender mejor el mundo en que vivimos.