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

 The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater was published in 2017. The book details an incident that happened in Oakland, California on November 4, 2013, in which a student at Oakland High School, Richard, sets the skirt of an agender teenager, Sasha, on fire during a ride home on the 57 bus. Following this incident, Richard is arrested and attempts to cooperate with the police without being accompanied by an adult, stating that he is "homophobic". His willingness to cooperate lands him with multiple felony charges, and he ends up in Juvenile Hall. 

At this time, Sasha is recovering from multiple surgeries due to the injuries sustained from the burns. Richard writes two letters to Sasha in which he attempts to explain himself and apologizes for the prank, but his lawyer makes sure they do not receive them, as they could implicate Richard and be seen as admission of guilt. Richard is ultimately given a plea deal which states that if he displays good behavior while in Juvenile Hall, he will be released before his twenty-first birthday without going to prison as an adult. Sasha finally receives the letters after Richard was in prison for a year, and at the sentencing hearing, their family forgives Richard for the prank and asks for leniency. He is ultimately released after maintaining good behavior, and he manages to earn his diploma and get a job at a non-profit. Sasha ends up attending MIT and excelling despite the incident. 

Overall, I thought it was an incredibly emotional read that was easy to get through and kept me hooked the entire time. I can definitely recommend this book for a high school library, and I think it can be taught in class in multiple ways. It touches on a number of themes that would be relevant for the high school age, including gender identity, the justice system, empathy, and adolescence. It's especially a fantastic look into the justice system, particularly when Richard was attempting to cooperate despite having no lawyer present. He labelled himself as "homophobic" without really understanding what the word meant, and he was charged with a hate crime because of it. He also attempted to help resolve the situation by writing letters which openly admitted guilty. Those letters, if provided to the defendant's family prior to the plea deal, could have sealed a much worse fate for him. It's also incredibly important to discuss the LGBTQ+ community as part of teaching this lesson, as Sasha's identity plays a big role in who they are. Sasha's family also expresses incredible empathy in forgiving Richard and asking for leniency, and they understood it was a prank and not meant to be an attack on Sasha due to their identity. I do think it can be an incredibly powerful piece to utilize when teaching, and I would absolutely recommend it for any high school librarian's collection.

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