The 57 Bus

A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

By: Dashka Slater

Narrated by: Robin Miles

This riveting nonfiction book for teens about race, class, gender, crime, and punishment tells the true story of an agender teen who was set on fire by another teen while riding a bus in Oakland, California.

One teenager in a skirt.

One teenager with a lighter.

One moment that changes both of their lives forever.

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 crime-plagued 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.

©2017 Dashka Slater (P)2017 Recorded Books

Incredible book!

Loved this book so much. Bravo! Keep on writing. Being a Californian myself and raising two teenagers, I really felt these characters.

Important

This is an important listen about the power of forgiveness and restorative justice. As shocking as the event that took place is, it isn't the major focus of the book. It's about understanding others, developing empathy, and how all parties can find peace after tragedy. An important focus for our time.

Amazing

This is such an amazing book it talks about general sexual orientation and race and race it’s a really good book and I recommend it to everyone

Good story

It was a little slow for me, in the beginning, but overall a good read.

A sad yet touching story!

A sad yet touching story of the reality of today's racial and gender stereotyping and struggles.

surprisingly good

I had to read this as a summer read and tbh I feel more educated about the trans people. I am a bi person and its kinda inspiring.

Game Changer

Not only has audible made me wanna read this for school it helped me keep going. I would have read over an hour without knowing! This book explorers topic of social inequality, justice system (juvenile flaws) and talks about gender identity with lgbtq assumptions. Based on a true story you’ll love hearing the different point of views of the story! 10/10

I learned so much!

This was a great book. Beautifully written and expertly narrated. A must read for educators.

Brutal but heartwarming

Reading this in 2023 as things continue to get worse and more bleak for non-conforming people in our country, so much of this was heartbreaking - I laughed ironically as the neo-nazis struggled to figure out who to root against, thinking that millions of people in our country now fall into that bucket as well as the leaders of every red state.

But it was also heartwarming - these are two actual people, not cardboard cutouts. Nothing is simple, nothing is a binary, as this story shows.

Heart Wrenching

A sad story of bad choices, determination and over coming struggles. Eye opening for those that want to see!