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

Reviews tagging 'Death'

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

23 reviews

imscrem's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

This book managed to touchingly portray a court case that reflected on a myriad of issues that America was facing at the time and, in large part, continues to face. It told the story in an engaging way that kept me hooked the whole time and curious to find out more about the issues. The sheer unfairness of it all was shocking to read about so directly. At the same time, I like to think that we are making progress — since the incident, much legislation has passed acknowledging nonbinary individuals, and even within the book it is clear that the state of California has reformed aspects of its prison system. Still, there remains much to be done.

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manta_moony's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

I really loved the way everyone’s stories were pieced together. There was also segments that contained information pertaining to the story to help give the reader perspective which was really helpful

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good_names_dont_exist's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

2.75

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kteliza28's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad medium-paced

4.0

Very interesting read from the perspective of the victim and the offender. Insightful look into the logistics of trials and the penal system, especially for youth. Intriguing look into the lives of both kids. Challenges the reader to hear two sides of a story and a reminder that a moment of bad decision making can change a life forever. We are not all our worst moments and we are not all our scars.
At times it felt this book dragged towards the last half. There were some parts that seemed to be filler content and didn’t add as much to the storyline. It was hard to see someone misgendered so much but I’m glad they included every time it happened to really showcase the way that agender, nonbinary, and trans people are often overlooked. Also hard to hear the stats of the way the justice system so negatively impacts black youth and how many lose friends and family to tragic deaths at such a young age. Guy wrenching read with heartwarming moments.

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bookishperseus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

This book had an almost light tone, which sounds off putting, but it's really what allowed me to finish it. I read primarily to escape, so I struggle to read books that depict the hard and ugly parts of real life. The tragic events of what happened on the 57 bus are told in balance way that humanizes both Richard and Sasha, without excusing Richards actions. There fact that this book is YA explains the basic levels of education the author tries to provide around the gender spectrum, sexuality, mass incarceration, gun violence, and alternative rehabilitation options for juvenile offenders. Slater gives a general idea of how things were at the time of the incident, how certain ideas and legislation effect individuals, and a few glimpses at how things have changed since then. At times, the story seemed to grow arms and legs, delving into the back stories of parents and counselors, but the of life has dealt so many young people a garbage hand and they're doing the best they can to deal with it came through.

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