The 57 Bus

For real, this is the best book I've read in a year, probably longer. Do you want to have conversations about [b:The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|6792458|The New Jim Crow Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness|Michelle Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1328751532s/6792458.jpg|6996712] and non-binary gender and modern segregation and the school-to-prison pipeline and restorative justice and intersectionality, and you want to do all of it based on reading one short book that neither you nor your teenagers will be able to put down? I'm not sure how, but Dashka Slater has managed to make this possible. I gulped the whole thing down on the train from Boston to New York, and then panicked show more because I'd only brought the one book and still had another 4 hours to DC. Everybody over the age of, say, 14 in America should read this book. show less

The 57 Bus is the story of Sasha and Richard: two Oakland teenagers whose paths crossed on the 57 bus in November 2013. Richard, egged on by his friends, lights Sasha's skirt on fire, which bursts into flames and results in 3rd degree burns. Richard is charged with a hate crime because Sasha identifies as agender, and the DA decides to try him as an adult over the objections of Sasha's family. This is a harrowing look at gender identity and the juvenile justice system, organized in short easily digestible chapters. A few are even in verse. I found this book to be as engrossing as any novel, leaving me with many things to reflect on. I recommend it!

Thought-provoking, insightful examination of a crime committed against an agender teen by a black teen in Oakland, California in 2013. Journalist Dashka Slater goes beyond the common media angles to probe current social issues such as gender identity, adolescent impulsivity, racial bias, and the criminal justice system. The author explores questions that could be useful in youth discussion groups or food-for-thought for anyone:

• What separates a hate crime from an impulsive, reckless decision?
• Should juveniles be tried and sentenced as adults? What are the potential impacts?
• How did the expression of gender identity influence the behavior of others? How did the expressions of support change this behavior?
• How can show more understanding of differences increase tolerance and acceptance?
• How does news reporting and social media influence public opinion? How does this book attempt to go further than the surface treatment of this case?
• What roles do remorse and forgiveness play in the outcome?

The book is divided into four sections: Sasha, Richard, the Fire, and Justice. Chapters are short and riveting. Up-to-date gender terminology is conveyed. We get to know the families and background of those involved, and I cared about what happened to them. It would be nice to see an addition to the book at some point in the future to find out each of these two fares later in life.

Recommended to readers who wish to become more informed about gender identity issues, juvenile crime, and criminal justice concerns. Book clubs may also be interested, as it challenges many commonly-held assumptions and includes lots of room for debate. Contains language and graphic descriptions the results of a person being set on fire. I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. show less

This book is an excellent read. It uses narrative nonfiction techniques and perspective brilliantly. By providing a factual account of two teenagers' lives and how they intersected via a terrible crime, the author helps to broaden the reader's own perspective and understanding without being heavy-handed. This is a book that I feel can open minds and would do well to be read by many of us. There are so many social issues addressed here: racism, mass incarceration, gender, sexual identification, gender nonconformity, poverty, social class, disability...it's all here. And treated with both a discerning, factual eye and with empathy. I found this book both moving and informative.

This book raises huge questions without overtly answering show more them:
What is justice?
Can basically good people commit heinous acts and if they do how should they be punished? Punishment vs. rehabilitation?
What is a hate crime and should it be treated differently?
How does poverty impact success? How does trauma impact success?
What does trauma look like? How does it impact individuals?
What does it mean to be male/female/trans/ambiguous? Does it matter? Should it?
What does it meant to be targeted for how you look?
What does it mean to be part of a community? How does that effect individuals?
Should teenagers be held accountable for their actions as adults?
What does forgiveness look like and what is its significance?

Those are off the top of my head and poorly worded and there's more there.

The 57 Bus would do well to be included in adult reading lists and for middle and high school students when they explore nonfiction and social issues. show less

True story. Agender teenager Sasha was on a bus in Oakland California in Fall 2013 and fell asleep. When they woke up, they were on fire. Another teenager on the bus, Richard, saw a “boy” in a skirt and decided to light his lighter to the skirt, thinking it would just peter out, but it didn’t. Sasha had terrible burns to their legs. The author looks at both their lives leading up to the incident, and their lives during the aftermath.

The author set up the background of both Sasha and Richard – that is, their lives up to that point. Richard was a black boy, poor and though, ultimately, a good person, he hung around with a bad crowd. Next came the ride on the bus that resulted in Sasha’s being burned and Richard charged as an show more adult because it was a violent crime (although Sasha and their parents would have preferred he be tried as a juvenile).

There is a lot for people to learn in this book, particularly about Sasha and how they felt in their skin, initially as a boy, but then coming out as agender with their friends and parents. Sasha had been accepted and supported and didn’t have bad experiences due to their agender-ness, up until the incident on the bus. I had a (much) harder time feeling badly for Richard, despite studies about how teenagers’ brains are wired and although they know right from wrong, they can still be compelled to do things they know are wrong and do feel badly for afterward. I still had (have) a hard time getting past what Richard did, while knowing it was wrong. The book is aimed toward a YA audience, but I think there is so much in this book (particularly about gender) that adults can (and maybe should) learn, too. It’s an eye-opening book, for sure, and well worth reading. show less

I remember when I heard the author of The 57 Bus speak at YALSA. Dashka Slater had done her due diligence with researching this book and she made an interesting point while speaking. She said "what I wanted to do was write a book where just as the case was gray, so I wanted it to be for the audience. I wanted to portray all sides of the individuals--not just who was guilty and who was innocent. This case had so many layers to it. It cannot easily be broken down."

Now having read the book for myself, I can attest that that was achieved.

It follows Sasha, an agender teenager and Richard, a heterosexual black teenager. Sasha's skirt is set on fire while on the 57 Bus and Richard, who held the lighter in his hands, is charged with the crime. show more This story really introduces both individuals to the reader. We learn about Sasha and their coming into their sexuality. We learn about Richard's checkered past and how he was trying to do something better with his life. We learn about the criminal justice system. We learn about LGBTQ issues. It's an eye opening book.

No, it isn't an easy book. But it is a book that starts a dialogue. On MANY fronts. show less

I vaguely remember when this case was in the news. The media labeled it a hate crime committed by a homophobic black teen on a gay white teen. The truth is something else entirely, and Dashka Slater lays it all out for us beautifully.

This true story encompasses gender identity, racism, bias, class divisions, pack behavior, and teenage impulsiveness. It's complex, fascinating, and heartbreaking, yet also offers a profound sense of compassion and understanding.

Sasha identifies as agender, using the pronoun "they." I'm blown away by their sense of self. Most people would be left bitter, seeking retribution, but Sasha has this incredible inner peace. Really, I wish they could bottle it and spray it all over the world. Sasha's parents are show more supportive in a way that every child deserves, regardless of gender or sexual preference.

I especially love how this book questions the way we prosecute teens. Casting blame is easy, but the reality is almost always far more complicated.

While Sasha's and Richard's stories are unique, different versions are playing out all over the world. Maybe reading this will help us all learn a better way forward. show less