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    The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
    The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
    The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
    Audiobook5 hours

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

    Written by Dashka Slater

    Narrated by Robin Miles

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.

    A New York Times Bestseller • Stonewall Book Award Winner • YALSA Award forExcellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Finalist • A Boston Globe–Horn BookNonfiction Honor Book Winner • A TIME Magazine Best YA Book of All Time •A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 17, 2017
    ISBN9781501977862
    The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives
    Author

    Dashka Slater

    Award-winning journalist Dashka Slater has written for such publications as The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Salon, and Mother Jones. Her New York Times-bestselling young-adult true crime narrative, The 57 Bus, has received numerous accolades, including the Stonewall Book Award, the California Book Award, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor. It was a YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist and an LA Times Book Award Finalist, in addition to receiving four starred reviews and being named to more than 20 separate lists of the year’s best books, including ones compiled by The Washington Post, the New York Public Library, and School Library Journal. In 2021, The 57 Bus was named to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time. The author of fifteen books of fiction and nonfiction for children and adults, Dashka teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults program. She lives and writes in Oakland, California.

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    Reviews for The 57 Bus

    4.5/5

    317 ratings25 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Excellent and a super narrator too. A fascinating listen to a very stupid and silly act which has consequences for both lives. Informative, this is a brilliant book.
    • 5/5
      Great book! I read this for one of my college education classes :)
    • 5/5
      I do not normally read non fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this
    • 5/5
      A beautiful book. Technically True Crime but with a more hopeful, thoughtful feel to it and at its heart, just a story about two kids from very different worlds whose lives crossed.
    • 4/5
      I found th information presented in this book regarding adolescent crime and punishment very important. I was interested in the real people presented and the relationships. I found the writing unclear and repetitive, and that detracted greatly from this important story. I so admired the forgiveness proffered by the victim and their famiy.
    • 5/5
      teen/adult nonfiction; human interest (Stonewall Award; LGBTQA interest).
      This sounds like a terribly sad (true) story and one that you don't think you'd ever want to read, but Sasha and Richard's stories have so much heart that you won't regret picking it up. There's also a ton to think about/discuss for book groups.
    • 4/5
      The true story of a black teenager who set a non-binary person's skirt on fire. The author is a journalist and there is definitely a news story feel to it. What I thought was fantastic though was how the author was able to provide the reader with both sides of the story in a very genuine way and I empathized with the perpetrator as much as the victim. The book also takes a look at brain development, how California laws have changed over the last 40 years (often not for the better), the effect of trauma on future actions, and how the judicial system is much more about punishment than rehabilitation, especially if juveniles are sent to adult prison.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      I finally got around to reading this book when Audibooksync had it paired with Monday's Not Coming for week 1 of 2020. These books are a great pairing! The 57 Bus is a true story from a few years ago. The moment: person with a white skirt; person with a lighter--both on the 57 bus. Yes, what you think happens happens--the boy flicks his lighter, the skirt ignites and Sasha is burned. Is it that simple? A few sentences? I'm sure there are assumptions already going through your head. Situations never are as simple as what they appear.The non-fiction book introduces the reader to each person, so that we do not assume "good vs. evil." Assumptions have consequences. Let's avoid what is avoidable. The facts. Sasha, born a male, considers themself agender and uses the plural pronoun, which takes getting used to while reading. Sasha likes wearing skirts. They were raised in a white, fairly safe community and they are super, super smart. They didn't fit in completely but had close friends growing up and respected for their intelligence. Sasha loved public transportation and the thought that goes behind making it all work. Seemingly, they seem advantaged, and to an extent, yes. Their parents accepted these choices by Sasha and expected others to respect them as well. Richard, on the other hand, has a much different life. His mother loves him but works a lot of hours, and Richard sometimes doesn't always hang around the best people. There is much more disadvantages to his community than Sasha has. He's actually a good kid, but he does do some stupid stuff sometimes and doesn't know why he didn't think it through. He ends up arrested before this incident; and, when he returns, he attends a different school where a counselor of sorts helps students like him use education to achieve and not end up dead. These lives reflect the social divides in America. If Richard didn't live in a higher crime area because society had more choices for his mother, would he have done what he did? Was this a hate crime? As the book unfolds, Richard doesn't seem to have any animosity toward seeing a boy in a skirt. He claims to be homophobic, but I'm not convinced he knew what the word meant. As the novel progresses, you see how incarceration affects Richard. Did it keep him from achieving what he could have? Did it keep him out of trouble and gave him a future he wouldn't have had? Did it protect him? Sasha recovers and attends a prestigious college while Richard serves time in a juvenile facility. Two totally different lives. The parents even care for each other. Sasha's parents do not hate. They see the problems in society and the justice system and want Richard to have help. They don't judge him. Everyone wants what is best for everyone and strive for this positive outcome.As you read the book, you discover statistics about incarceration of juveniles, what seems to help, and what doesn't. You also discover everyone is a person. Assumptions and hate create the problems and no one benefits. It's a fascinating look at an incident that lasted a short time but had consequences for all of us. It is well worth your time because you will really think about what is being said and, hopefully, take a deep breath and choose to be someone who researches truth instead of jumps to conclusions.
    • 3/5
      I found this incredibly interesting at first, though the invested feeling tapered off more and more as I continued.

      Slater seems pretty empathetic to both parties, which is fine and understandable, but a lot of it reads, weirdly enough, like a fictional newspaper article—detached, kind of flat, and I had to remind myself a few times that this was non-fiction.

      I typically really enjoy documentaries, but now I think I understand what reading a documentary would be like, and I don’t love it. I understand providing background on both Sasha and Richard (Sasha's journey to identifying as agender, Richard’s struggles as he grew up, etc.), and I understand the criticisms of the juvenile justice system. I understand the importance of the short chapters showing Sasha’s gradual return to their everyday life, and the ones describing Richard's court proceedings. I just feel that these additions ended up backfiring and reinforcing the vibe that this was a fictional story. It’s mostly the delivery, though, and not the content itself, though some is definitely superfluous.

      All of that said, Sasha and their parents seem like incredible people, and I’m glad that Richard had the support of his family and friends. This is a difficult case to judge fairly, but it’s also an important reminder that one seemingly-small decision made in jest can lead to terrible consequences.
    • 5/5
      After school in Oakland, California, two teenagers habitually ride the same bus route to home. One teen is white, middle-class, agender and asexual. The other is an inner-city African-American male. When a prank gone wrong results in serious injury to the genderqueer one, the African-American teen finds himself stuck in the criminal justice system, charged as an adult with a hate crime. In short chapters The 57 Bus illuminates both injured Sasha's and incarcerated Richard's stories both before and after the fateful afternoon their lives briefly intersected. I read this book in two days and I could hardly put it down. It is shelved in my local library as a "teen" book, but it really is for anyone who wants to read a story of redemption, hope and healing.
    • 4/5
      One of the three books on the YA choices for the Global Read 2019...wow. Well written, tightly woven re-telling through various perspectives of this true incident: an African-American teenage boy (Richard) lights another "genderqueer" kid's skirt on fire (Sasha) while riding on an Oakland city bus; the skirt ignites, awakes the drowsing Sasha but before the flames are put out, Sasha has burns all over his legs. Traces the path for both of them - before the event, the event itself, and then afterwards. The author unfurls the narrative in a respectful & empathetic tone, using straightforward prose with just enough imagery/specific details to convey the complexity of each individual key to the story: the victim Sasha, the perpetrator Richard, some of Richard's friends and some high school staff, the parents of each young person, Sasha's friends, the lawyers, and gives a fuller context by explaining how the Calif juvenile court system works, what juvenile prison is like, how Sasha's burns are treated and healed and his trajectory to college life, etc. Instead of providing a simplistic tale of "wayward teen does badly and gets caught in the justice system", the author helps readers see the humanity of Richard as well as Sasha, how an already happy go lucky teenage boy with fragile prospects for graduation & social/economic success changes his future in a split second, succumbing to peer pressure & sheer daring in one simple antisocial act. Narratives about each teen is broken up occasionally with court findings, commentary of friends and family members via interviews with author, and even text messaging on occasion but author always maintains a forward trajectory. Lengthy but worth it - excellent choice for esp older teens, who may appreciate the last year of high school to post high school experiences, worries and changes.
    • 5/5
      Gripping and impartial view of both sides of a crime. Full of interesting facts that might change what people think is the "right" way to view a variety of topics.
    • 5/5
      An amazing, eye opening, historical account for everyone to read. Things happen to good kids. We are a product of our environment, either we join it or we surpass it. Be Careful.
    • 5/5
      57 Bus is nonfiction that tells the true story of an agender teen, Sasha, who rode the 57 bus home every day. One day, on that bus, three teen boys are being obnoxious jerks and Richard takes a lighter to Sasha’s skirts and seems surprised when it goes up in flames. The remainder of the story discusses Sasha’s recovery and the court case surrounding Richard. It’s a remarkable story about identity, choices, consequences and, in the end, forgiveness. Everyone needs to read this bbo
    • 5/5
      Dashka Slater’s achievement in having written “The 57 Bus” is notable for a few reasons. First, she has composed a well-written and engaging work of non-fiction for Young Adult readers—a rather rare feat in itself. Second, she utilizes a writing style that blends journalistic and straightforward accounts of a quite brutal event with the voices of those whose lives were forever altered by that event. In doing so, she demonstrates the complexity of the issues involved in this tale of an agender teenager, Sasha, who fell asleep on a bus and woke up engulfed in flames after another teenager senselessly set fire to the skirt Sasha was wearing.Most of the “chapters” that comprise this book are no longer than 2 or 3 pages. While this choppy reportorial structure could potentially create an uneven staccato rhythm to Slater’s writing, instead it accurately reproduces the assortment of viewpoints and contexts that create an intricate mosaic around the unfortunate event, its causes, and its consequences. Slater begins by presenting an account of the event itself. She then shifts the focus to Sasha, a teenager who embodies the very meaning of intersectional identity—Sasha, assigned male at birth, identifies as agender or genderqueer—that is, neither male nor female. Sasha uses the gender-neutral pronouns “they” and “them,” a practice Slater adopts throughout the book. Sasha is also on the autism spectrum. The next section of the book focuses on Richard, who set Sasha’s skirt on fire. Richard, a black teenager, lives in poverty and has grown up surrounded by crime and violence. When Richard’s and Sasha’s lives intersect one fateful day in Oakland on the 57 bus, Slater focuses on the complex ways in which race, gender, sexuality, privilege, prejudice, and socioeconomics affect what happens next as she discusses perceptions and misperceptions of sexuality, gender identity, and institutionalized racism. The book proceeds at a brisk pace that belies its profound implications, and it handles complex and relevant contemporary issues in a style appropriate for its intended adolescent audience. I highly recommend that everyone read this book and share it with a young adult.
    • 5/5
      This was a true story engagingly told and well written. Sasha was on the 57 bus on the way home from school when their skirt was lit of fire by Richard. The text delves into the backstories of Sasha and Richard and then picks up at the event and what happened in the aftermath. Sasha identifies as agender, and there is a lot of information in the book about gender identity which is helpful. Sasha and Richard's families also are portrayed in the book. Throughly researchers, compassionately written. Reading the book serves to raise one consciousness.
    • 5/5
      This book was given to me by my bestie @mycornerforbooksand for Mother's Day. I have wanted it for so long. All opinions are my own. ????? The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater. This one is written differently. It is a true story of a true crime and how it effected more than just the two teens involved. While it has a horrid, scary story, Slater does a great job of providing facts, vocabulary words, and a way to help others navigate the complicated world we live in. Sasha, formerly Luke, was the victim of what was supposed to be a harmless prank by a high school boy, Richard. Richard and his friends get on the Bus and after laughing and cutting up decide to play a prank on the person asleep on the bus. Only it isn't harmless and it's wasn't just any person. Richard finds himself alone in a complicated situation charged as an adult, while Sasha fights to exist the entire ordeal. And all of their family and friends try to understand why exactly this had to happen the way it did. Review also posted on Instagram @borensbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Amazon, and my blog at readsbystacie.com
    • 4/5
      Probably this book, more than any other medium, has forced me to open my eyes to genders beyond male and female. Slater reinforces the importance of pronouns and makes the reader more aware of their own biases. Slater could have focused great attentiion and detail on the horrific act that this story revolves around, but she focused more on the people and families that were effected, the justice for Sasha, and the repercussions of the law for Richard. What comes through on all accounts is the empathy that humans can have, even when exposed to hardship and tragedy. Good quick read. Took two days. Would recommend to high school readers particularly those looking for affirming stories and people in the LGBTQ community.
    • 4/5
      Wow! Wow! Wow! You have to read this book!Written for young adults, appropriate for middle grade, and a compelling read for adults. This true story takes place in Oakland, in the neighborhood my grandparents lived in long before the events described in this book took place. While the setting was familiar, the egregious realities of a hate crime such as the one described in The 57 Bus were not.Although other readers found this book to be one-sided, preachy, and even lacking in detail, there is much to be gleaned from reading it.
    • 3/5
      A pretty solid nonfiction book for teens that explores social justice (and injustice. Two teens are bound together after one horribly thought through mistake and their lives are altered. Sasha is an agendered teen who occasionally wears skirts, Richard is a black teen from the crime ridden part of town who decides to get his friends to laugh. One afternoon while riding the 57 bus through Oakland, Richard sees a dude in a skirt sleeping at the back of the bus and thinks it might be funny if he got part of the skirt to smolder. His plan backfires horribly when the whole thing catches on fire in a blaze and endangers Sasha and the bus. He is arrested and charged with a hate crime, while Sasha must undergo multiple surgeries to save her legs. The 57 Bus tells both their stories and aims at getting the reader to think about justice and fairness, and even forgiving others.
    • 5/5
      Timing is everything, and in this case, this is so true. Sasha and Richard found themselves riding on the 57 bus for a short period of time by chance. Sasha, a teen who did not identify with being either sex despite being born male, was wearing an outfit typical for school that included a skirt. Sasha fell asleep on the bus, something that they did on many other occasions. However, Richard and his friends were on that bus that day, and they were acting like typical teenage boys. They were laughing and joking, but somehow things got out of hand, and Richard took a lighter and set Sasha's skirt on fire. Fortunately, there were people there who helped Sasha, but they still suffered severe burns to their legs. Richard was ultimately arrested and charged as an adult for the crime. This book looks at what happens to a teen in the adult system, arguing that the appropriate court should have been the juvenile one, despite the severity of the crime. Sasha's parents agreed with that. This is an amazing look at crime, violence, race, class, gender and morality as well as the value of forgiveness and taking responsibility for one's actions. This is a great book for both teens and adults, as we all have a lot to learn and understand about each other.
    • 5/5
      When Sasha fell asleep on the bus, Richard decided to set Sasha's skirt on fire. What he thought would be a funny joke, turned serious as the skirt erupted into a fireball, severely burning Sasha. The police and media called it a hate crime - a crime against the lgbtq community. Alternating between Sasha and Richard's story, this book sets up a frank discussion of gender and sexuality. It shows the seriousness of one's actions and how a seemingly harmless prank could have turned deadly. I think this is an important read for those of all ages. Overall, highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Sasha, self defined as asexual and with the preferred pronoun they, took the 57 bus to get home from school every day. Richard, from a very different part of town, took the same bus. One day, on the bus with his friends, Richard decided to prank the boy in a skirt. He didn't expect the skirt to go up in flames. Sasha landed in the hospital, and Richard found himself charged with a hate crime as an adult.
    • 4/5
      I may have read articles about this story but I can't remember. The fact that Dashka covered this story as a journalist was a great factor in this book. The author already had first had knowledge on this subject matter. What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it did not read like just a bunch of interviews. Yet, everyone who spoke and was featured in this book had a name and a face. It was like I was there in person listening as everyone spoke. Yet, this book was not just about the crime but about the people; specifically Sasha and Richard. The book is broken out into different parts. The first parts give the reader an insight into who Sasha and Richard are before the event. While, the event was horrible, I felt like Richard really did not have malice intentions towards Sasha. He just made a very stupid judgment in error that cost him dearly. Just from reading this book, it seemed that Richard was a scapegoat. This book captured my attention and kept it until the very end.