Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

The 57 Bus" is a powerful true story that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you with a range of emotions. The story revolves around two teenagers, Sasha and Richard, who come from different backgrounds and have had very different life experiences. Sasha, a gender non-binary student, is white and goes to a private school in Oakland, California, while Richard, who is black, attends a public school in the same city. One day, while they were both on the 57 bus, Richard does something that changes their lives forever - he sets Sasha's skirt on fire while they are sleeping. This event becomes national news and the book takes you through the events leading up to it, the aftermath, and the impact it had on everyone involved.

Dashka Slater's writing is truly exceptional as she skillfully brings together a range of sources, including interviews, news articles, and court transcripts, to create a compelling and empathetic depiction of Sasha and Richard's experiences. Through their story, the book offers an insightful examination of the intricate and often difficult issues surrounding identity, race, class, and gender that are so relevant in today's society.

While "The 57 Bus" may be a difficult book to read, it is undeniably a crucial one. It encourages readers to take a closer look at their own preconceptions and prejudices and to confront the harsh truths of social injustice that exist in our world. However, despite the heavy subject matter, the book ultimately offers a message of hope and resilience. It shows that even in the midst of tragedy, empathy, compassion, and forgiveness can triumph, shining a light on the better aspects of humanity.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about this incident and exploring the complexities of the people involved.

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elizakay's review

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challenging hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

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the_embodiment_of_chaos's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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tnb10's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

This telling of a true event is eye opening. It was interesting to learn about the depths of gender, sexuality, and attraction. It makes you think and reflect about so many current topics; gender identity, incarceration rates, effects of being incarcerated, laws, and more.

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bayleereads's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I listened to this on audio and I thought it was fairly good. It was incredibly informative on a case I knew nothing about. I enjoyed getting to know the victim and the perpetrator and what led all of these circumstances. This story is important for everyone to read because of the real lessons it teaches-- no one should be harmed for who they are, and one dumb, mindless decision can severely impact the lives of many people. There were some disconnects for me: 1) The author didn't focus a ton on the main people involved (Sasha + Richard), and rather focused a lot on people connected to Sasha and Richard in other ways, and it made the timeline and story confusing. 2) This book reads like a bunch of newspaper articles strung together... which is... blah. While it wasn't the most enjoyable read, it was super informative and I do recommend it those who haven't heard of Sasha's story.

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fred_nom_nom's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

3.25

I don't recommend this book as a first or only source of information on the topic, because you can tell that the person who wrote it isn't directly effected by the things they're writing about e.g misgendering, using deadnames and using words and discriptions which aren't fitting or even hurtful

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nurlou's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense medium-paced

3.25

misgendering and deadnaming included :ccc
don't recommend this book as you only source of information

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