57 bus, thoughts, and explanations.

     In the 57 bus written by Dashka Slater, the reader learns many things while reading this unputdownable, riveting story. Though the one thing a reader won’t forget is the discrimination. The discrimination against Sasha when they were lit on fire. The discrimination against Richard when the judge decided to charge him as an adult when he was only sixteen, releasing his name to the public. Or when Sasha was diagnosed with autism and the doctor said their future was limited, or when Richard was being interrogated by the police. All of it was discrimination, but regardless, they moved forward and didn’t let life slow them down.

At the beginning of the book, we’re introduced to one of the main characters Sasha, we learn about Sasha's interests like Russia and language and their school life. Then the book transitions into Richard's life, we learn that he has been struggling in school and skipping class to have fun with his friends. Halfway through the book, we see Richard and Sasha meet for the first time, when Richards' friends goad him into lighting their skirt on fire, thinking it would be funny. The alit Sasha is rolled around in a ball of flames and suffered Second and third-degree burns, and Richard Face charges of attempted murder along with a hate crime. Through the rest of the book, we see views from other people's perspectives as well as many court appearances, deciding Richards's fate.

I think that, instead of a book that gives you an adventure, a mystery, or maybe a love story, this book is more of a brutal truth. Aside from the fact that the story was true. It also shows the discrimination against people of minority and is shown in the book more times than I can count. Because life is like that, and everybody sees the world through their own biases, regardless of what you think, there isn’t a human being Who doesn’t discriminate against Another human being who isn’t similar to them, and sometimes you can’t even blame them. It’s human nature to stay in a group and shun anything that is not a part of the group. And I think this book very well displays Discrimination in everyday life.

As I read the book, I felt divided, because, on one hand, I knew information that only a reader could know, and I felt kina compressed because there is no protagonist to root for or an antagonist to root against, because in real life, everybody is their protagonist, and your antagonist is always changing. This also goes for Richard and Sasha because this book is so realistic you feel like it could happen in real life, then you remember it did.

To sum it up, the book was good, it didn’t bring tears to my eyes, or make me want to write my book about the injustices of the world, but it showed me something that I’ve been told for years, that “life isn’t fair”. In this story, neither Sasha nor Richard came out unscathed. regardless, this book is an excellent read and may help you realize some stuff you didn’t before.