Welcome to Litsy!

One of my scholars walked right into class and finished the last 10 pages and cried. The 57 Bus has been on my list for a while but seeing her cry and the emotions while retelling the story to me has me pushing this up the TBR.

A interesting non fiction book, I recommend to all.

Read for reading prompts.

Library book 📖

5/5

Two teens on the opposite side of a horrific event, Sasha is asleep on the bus when Richard sets their skirt on fire. Was this a teenage prank gone awry? A serious hate crime? Somewhere in between? This book delved in both of their lives before and after the incident in a way that is both balanced and compassionate.

Sitting outside for a little before it gets dark.

Sitting out in the sun reading. Its good for the soul.

Currently reading this banned books. I hate that they ban books. I think its so stupid to ban them. If you dont like a book then dont read them and dont buy them. Simple solution.

Thank you so much @catiewithac I actually wanted to get some banned books. I will dive into this one as soon as I can. I have some library and an ARC that I have to read first then I will read it. But Im very excited.

In Ann Arbor for an author event that's part of the #BigGayRead this cycle!

#savvysettings #bus

Once again I wish there was better sticker placement.

Abolition is the only way forward.

Wow what a heartbreaking and beautiful story about the harm done to a young trans teenager and how this one decision changed two young people's lives. I felt really bad for both students. Really well done story. I learned a lot about juvenile youth in the corrections system. This was a very informative story that I didn't know about. Well done.. #NFNov #NFN21 #NFN

Your box came today Holly, thank you! This sounds really sad but also interesting.

I‘m saving the birthday goodies for at least a week... they will taunt me from the mantle until then.

I sent off Opioid, Indiana for you this morning. 📚❤️

Agender Sasha falls asleep on a bus, then Richard‘s friend goad him into lighting their skirt on fire. This horrific situation is beautifully rendered by Slater, who first humanizes both teens as whole people. It‘s a powerful exploration of the consequences of actions and the basic humanity of people. All people. It‘s simply a marvelous book. (YA nonfiction)

The Bus 57 is well written, researched piece of non-fiction that covers a lot of important topics such as gender norms, identity, racial inequality, criminal justice and forgiveness but still keeps the reader interested. I highly recommend it to both parents and teens. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘ve never heard of this story before reading this book, and I have to say—I‘m glad I read this! Also, my cat is being social today and decided to sit with us

This started out slow for me, and I didn‘t know if I would finish it. But I‘m glad I did. It‘s a reminder that what is recorded in court is not always the real crux of an issue.

Any book that came make me rethink my stance on something is a really good book!! The book begins with Sasha having they skirt set on fire on the 57 bus. We are educated about the difference pronouns and terms that people use to self identify. Then we follow Richard and Sasha as a trial takes place. Your thoughts about juveniles being sentenced as adults may change. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There are a lot of definitions in the beginning, I think this may be a good intro to gender IDs and their differences. Good information and opens the convos to complex issues.

Books I read in June. The cat just decided to take a seat 🤷🏻‍♀️.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This deep dive into the lives of both teens involved in the situation really shows how much more there is to a story than what is on the surface.
#OBMBookClub
#diversereads
#read2020
#VirtualMountTBR
32/36

I absolutely loved this book. Though its a sad story, its beautifully written. I ended up finishing it in one day

"The 57 Bus" is about a real life incident when an agender teen had their skirt set on fire by another teenager. This book also questions our police system and what restorative justice may do for us as a country.

This is also a great read if you are looking for books specifically for Pride month!

I was living in the Bay Area at the time of these events. I rode this bus daily to and from the Dimond district. I am both horrified and sad and yet I was a high schooler too in my lifetime. So the question I reflect on is: When does the voice in us develop that has the ability to rein us in when we have a choice presented to us to act or not act? To do or not do? To speak for what is right not just in the moment but for a future that is not now?

#CoronaBreak Book 13. In a dream world, I would love to teach this book. I find the blurred lines between “good” and “evil” so fascinating (hence my love for true crime), and I think this book really clearly emphasizes how unclear that dichotomy can truly be (and in a way that young people can understand it). The ending was satisfying, and you really felt so many emotions for all of the people involved.

Dashka Slater's The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives is a heart-breaking and nuanced nonfiction book about a single incident on a city bus and the implications of its consequences. (I downloaded this book as part of the @audiobooksync program, which offers two free audiobook downloads per week all through summer!)⠀⬇️

This nonfiction YA does a great job of telling all sides of an event involving one teenager lighting the clothes of another teenager on fire while on a bus in 2013. I didn‘t know the details of the event before starting the book, so it packed quite a punch. It details a crime, but the more important message is about developing understanding and accepting others different from yourself.

#nonfiction #audiobook #AudiobookSync #YA

I listened to this audiobook today and it broke my heart. 💔

I will never understand the hatred people have for someone else simply because they are different. I am thankful for people like Sasha who share their stories so that other's can learn and hopefully grow from such tragedy.

123

2 free audiobooks weekly starting April 30—I‘ve been getting these for a few summers now, and they always have many great picks. Edit: they now use the Sora app for the downloads. #audiobooksync

https://www.audiobooksync.com/2020-sync-titles/

This was our true crime book club pick for March (don't worry, we discussed it online) and one we all liked. Technically it's a YA true crime book, and Slater does a very good job of detailing the lives of the two teenagers at the center of the story. It's really easy to read a snippet of a story, especially a crime, and make assumptions, but there's usually more going on.

Very interesting, especially the parts about Sasha and gender identity which were kind of fascinating. The parts about Richard and the court system were also pretty interesting. The writing is a little simplistic, but I think it was meant for young adult/teens, and frankly, if I had kids still in school I would have liked to see this on the reading lists.

Finally got around to starting this for school (in the last two days of vacation) but it‘s really interesting. I‘m not a big nonfiction fan, but this is very engaging.

A must read for everyone!

woah. this book...really moved me. as you can see by the cover, this is a true story. i‘m both heartbroken and relieved by this story. this was able to be turned into a situation where the “criminal” learned a lesson and understands the reality of transgender people. i really enjoyed reading about it though - i always love books where i learn a lot. if you are interested in the lgbtq+ community, this is a book for you.

I hadn't heard anything about this incident prior to picking up this book. All I can say is WOW.

Challenge accepted! https://bookriot.com/2019/12/03/2020-read-harder-challenge/

This book is amazing. A page turning true story which should be required reading. Go Read It. Seriously!

4/5⭐ It was a heartbreaking story. I don't fully agree or disagree with being gay, trans, or queer. All I believe and agree upon is that it isn't right to judge someone, make fun of, or assault anyone who you perceive as different than you. No matter your beliefs, I highly recommend reading this one. (Listened via Scribd)

A #mustread for everyone, whatever your thoughts or views on the lgbtq+ community. A heartbreaking retelling of what happened on bus 57 in Oakland, what led to those events, and what preceded them. The author does a great job at sharing both sides of the story and the flaws in our “justice” system.

#diversebooks #lgbtq #truecrime

“Many hate crimes, according to Phillis B. Gerstenfield, a criminal-justice professor at California State University, Stanislaw, `don‘t have as much to do with the victim as they do with the offender and their own insecurity — which of course is a lot of what‘s going on with adolescents in general.‘”

😔 our “justice” system... 💔

I‘m back!!! I‘ve been MIA for a while, not by choice but because of life. Towards the end of August Kenny was at the ER due to mold poisoning. We then had to try to find a new home ASAP due to the mold. This all happened while I was beginning work again. We still have boxes everywhere, but we are slowly but surely getting situated. I‘ll be happy when my books are all up on the shelves. 🤓 📚💕

This book reads like a documentary.

“One of every four trans people has experienced a bias-driven assault, and the numbers are higher for trans women, trans people of color, and people who identify as neither female or male.”

This is an incredible, unfortunate, yet hopeful true story of a person whose clothing is set on fire on Bus 57 in Oakland, CA and the ramifications of that act both for the victim and the doer. The author clearly explains technical information such as the legal system and laws. She humanizes the people involved enough to create empathy in the reader. This book includes important issues on race and sexual identity without passing judgment.

Excellent book. I remember hearing about this incident on the news and it was interesting, and moving, to hear how these teens and their parents‘ lives were changed as a result. Valuable insights into nonbinary/gender fluid identities and the juvenile criminal justice system. Also provides a fascinating look at how race, childhood trauma, and privilege all play into the opportunities and pitfalls facing the kids involved.

I was in search of a book to replace To Kill a Mockingbird as a class novel for my 11th graders and I think this is it. I love Mockingbird but most students don't. This is just as important and deals with the important current issues of bullying, harassment, gender discrimination, gender identity, young offenders, restorative justice, racial discrimination, poverty. There's so much to discuss.

I somehow missed this story when it made the news. An interesting look at a headline from the perspective of both victim and perpetrator. The author succeeded in balancing empathy for both of the teens involved.

It did feel a little dry, and you could tell the author was padding things to make a book-length manuscript.