The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
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 for teens 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. Awards and Accolades for The 57 Bus:A New York Times Bestseller
Stonewall Book Award Winner
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book Winner
A TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
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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Community Reviews
This was a story told and done well. The story is very respectful of every person in the book and tackles some hard hitting issues so beautifully.
This book also does a wonderful job of presenting facts and allowing you to make your own conclusions without being told what to think.
The book takes a hard look at the differences in class, race, gender, neighborhoods, school systems, and the criminal justice system.
This would be a great book for any middle schooler or high schooler to discuss any of the above topics.
This book also does a wonderful job of presenting facts and allowing you to make your own conclusions without being told what to think.
The book takes a hard look at the differences in class, race, gender, neighborhoods, school systems, and the criminal justice system.
This would be a great book for any middle schooler or high schooler to discuss any of the above topics.
Wow. In 2013, two strangers were riding a bus home from school. While Sasha, an agender teen, was sleeping, Richard lit Sasha's skirt on fire.
I remember this from the news. It was labeled as a cut-and-dried hate crime, but this book digs deep into the lives of both teens. It's a thoughtful, painfully honest read that addresses gender and trauma. It's written in a creative, engaging manner and is appropriate for young adults. There are no gratuitous scenes. If you're looking for a book to open a conversation about gender identification and prejudice, I'd recommend The 57 Bus. There's so much more to this story than originally portrayed, and this is very much worth your time.
I remember this from the news. It was labeled as a cut-and-dried hate crime, but this book digs deep into the lives of both teens. It's a thoughtful, painfully honest read that addresses gender and trauma. It's written in a creative, engaging manner and is appropriate for young adults. There are no gratuitous scenes. If you're looking for a book to open a conversation about gender identification and prejudice, I'd recommend The 57 Bus. There's so much more to this story than originally portrayed, and this is very much worth your time.
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