Review: 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 by Dashka Slater
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sasha - an agender teen with Asperberger's Syndrome, from a middle class family, and has a tight knit group of friends from their small private school

Richard - a troubled teen who's goofy and impressionable, has first-hand experience with the juvenile justice system, from an economically disadvantaged community, and is searching for support at his large public school.

The 57 Bus is a powerful story of love, acceptance, identity, violence, juvenile incarceration, and pain. It's an emotional story told through simple words. When Sasha's and Richard's lives intersected one average afternoon as they rode the bus home from their respective high schools in Oakland, California, no one knew just how life-changing the experience would be for them, their friends and families, and for the public that rallied to support both the victim and perpetrator. Slater's account draws from the lives of both of these teens to uncover the harsh realities faced as they grow up in one community but with life experiences that are vastly different.





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