In most crimes, people only hear one side of the story. In the crime of the “57 Bus”, people only were able to hear the side of the victim, Sasha. In the story, Dashka Slater describes the lives of both Sasha and Richard, the person who committed the crime, and describes both sides to the story.

Sasha and Richard attend different schools, and only cross each other’s paths during their ride home. Sasha was sitting in the back of the bus, wearing a t-shirt, a black jacket and a white skirt. They identify as agender, and wear a skirt because they feel more comfortable in it.

Sasha was sleeping in the back while Richard and his cousin Lloyd flirted with different girls. In a split second, Richard flicks a lighter and touches it to the hem of Sasha’s skirt. She is engulfed in flames and spends weeks in a hospital undergoing surgeries to treat her burns.

Richard is arrested the next day, being charged as an adult and facing life in prison. 

I love how the author wrote this story. It is in four parts: the first describing Sasha’s life, the second describing Richard’s, the third describing the crime and the last describing the end result. 

The author teaches the audience about the different terms for gender, sexuality and romance. I wasn’t very educated on this topic before, so I’m glad the author included them.

It is also very interesting to me how Richard seems to want to do something good with his life. He confided in Kaprice Wilson, Oakland High School’s attendance compliance officer. If he got in trouble, she helped him through it. It really seemed to me that he wanted to have a good future.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes true crime or nonfiction stories. I don’t typically read nonfiction, but I like true crime so I gave it a try. It is definitely one of my favorites.