Slater, Dashka.
THE 57 BUS
New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2017
IL YA
ISBN  978-0-374-30323-5

(3 booktalks)

Booktalk #1

Winner of the 2018 Stonewall Book Award and a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults finalist In November of 2013, teenagers Sasha and Richard didn’t have much in common. Sasha attended a small private high school, had a small circle of supportive friends, and identified as genderqueer (preferring they/them pronouns). Richard attended large, public Oakland High School and had already spent a year in juvenile detention. Their lives overlapped for a few short minutes each day on Oakland’s 57 bus. One afternoon, while Sasha was napping in the back of the bus, Richard flicked a lighter near Sasha’s skirt. It erupted in flames and left the teenager with second and third degree burns requiring surgery and months of rehabilitation. Sixteen-year old Richard, who admitted to being homophobic in a police interview, faced a potential life sentence if he was tried as an adult with a hate crime enhancement. Author Dashka Slater takes an even-handed look at the two young people, the crime, and role of the justice system in what happened next. The 57 Bus is a compelling true story of a hate crime and its aftermath. Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2018-2019

Booktalk #2

Two people’s lives changed, in real time and in real life, on the number 57 bus in Oakland, CA. Sasha, a transitioning teenager, and Richard, a black teenager, clash in a thoughtless, reckless act. Both will suffer years of repercussions from their encounter. But what stands out about this exceptional non-fiction book is that is doesn’t play out the way you think it will. Sasha refuses to be a victim and Richard undergoes restorative justice counseling while imprisoned in a California jail. They both contain multitudes and are more than a moment on a bus. Be a part of this award-winning story by reading about this 2013 incident and its aftermath. (Mike Fleming, Juanita High School https://evergreenbookaward.org/)

Booktalk #3

The paths of two high school students from Oakland, California, overlapped for eight short minutes each day. Otherwise, Sasha and Richard, teens from this very diverse city, would probably never have even met. Sasha attended a small private school and lived in a middle-class neighborhood. Richard lived in a crime-ridden part of the city and attended a large public school. A decision made one afternoon on their bus ride home from school put them in an international spotlight. This reckless act left Sasha, a white agender teen, severely burned, and Richard, a black teen, charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. Is it possible for any good to come out of this true story of two teens and the crime that changed their lives?  (Florida Teen Read, 2020)