The 57 Bus Summary
Dashka Slater

The 57 Bus Overview

The 57 Bus, by Dashka Slater, is the story of two young people, Sasha and Richard, who happened to be on the same bus for a short time most days. Sasha, who identifies as agender, was wearing a skirt the day that Richard decided to set it on fire with a lighter. Richard was tried as an adult with the hate-crime enhancement, but Sasha's family supported reducing Richard's sentence. He was allowed to serve his time as a juvenile with his release date slated for about the time of his 21st birthday. The main themes of this book are Sasha's self-identity, the effects of violence, and the failures of the juvenile justice system.