The 57 Bus

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The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

Project Contributors: Payton Davis, Gabriela Chavez, Raeanne Cendejas, Macy







Biography of the Author

Dashka Slater
The Author's Village
Dashka Slater is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in such publications as Newsweek, Salon, The New York Times Magazine, and Mother Jones. She received a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Slater currently resides in California, where she publishes children’s picture books in addition to longer fiction and nonfiction works. Her work in journalism even fueled the production of 57 bus, as the novel is based on a New York Times article that she wrote on the accident in Oakland. According to an interview with BookPage, while writing 57 Bus Slater was not sure that her version of YA literature was going to stick within a market that didn’t produce much similar to it. However, the inventive novel has been awarded many awards including, Stonewall Book Award, the California Book Award, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor.
The Antlered Ship, 2017
http://www.dashkaslater.com
Slater primarily focuses on issues of justice, gender, and race; and pursues the discussion of these topics in public speeches to both children and adults, as well as her literary publications. In the personal nature of her texts, Slater hopes for the deliverance of a perspective which will ultimately achieve justice for those the characters are modeled after. As explored in 57 Bus, Slater’s interest in restorative justice began though hearing about it from local advocates. Examples of this, and other social issues, are shown through the novel in a practical matter which Slater hopes will open the reader’s eyes, in the same way that hers were. Slater’s connection to her community and the cause assists in her personal depictions of issues such as race and gender.  
Slater’s work is more strongly concentrated in the genre of children’s illustrated books which seems to be a reflection of her role as a mother. These books are typically imaginative and mystical which is contrasted to the plot depicted in 57 Bus. The diversity in Slater’s work displays her passion for the growth of people’s compassion and imagination.

Review


The 57 Bus is a real case that takes place in Oakland, California in 2013. It is about the lives of two young adults whose lives change during one bus ride. Sasha, born a male, grew to identify themselves as a-gendered. Richard, an African American male, grew up dealing with the stigma that he might go to prison one day. Both of these people were changed during a bus ride where a change in some of their actions could have stopped the whole situation from occurring. But that did not happen, this book shows the actions of the parties involved and how the actions of a few can help change a system that leads to more violence.
   The 57 Bus won the YALSA 
Book Award for Nonfiction in 2018
On the bus ride home one day, as a practical joke Richard lit the skirt of a sleeping Sasha, on fire that led to second and third degree burns. This “joke” would lead to Sasha needing multiple surgeries and Richard being on the verge of being sentenced to court as an adult. Through the book, the reader learns about the lives of Sasha and Richard. How each one grew up, Sasha going to a small private school where students were encouraged to be themselves and Richard going to Oakland high school where there was a likelihood that the students would end up in prison before ever graduating. Dashka Slater informs the reader about gender and sexuality as well as juvenile justice system. It covers the names and definitions of all genders and sexualities and helps the reader understand how a person who identifies as something other than male or female wants to addressed. It covers the justice system on juvenile cases and how the accused has little hope of reform unless people band together to fix the issue. It shows how it can change to help the reformers not just limit and hurt the young adults that enter the system. It covers the feelings and actions of the families that experienced the aftermath of the situation.   

The novel was also awarded the 
Stonewall Book Award upon publication

This book is a great example of critical thinking, as  Slater wrote the book in a way to inform the readers on all side of the story. She is unbiased and shows that everyone should look at all sides of a story because creating a bias limits the possible resolutions. She also teaches the reader about parts of the juvenile system and how they can possibly change the system for the better. She shows how the actions of a few can start a catalyst of changes in the country if people would take the time to think about how to better the lives of the young adults that are misguided instead of judging them and forcing them to enter an unstable future. It is a great book to read as it focuses on young adults and how their actions can affect others.  

Online Materials 

Day 1

·         This video demonstrates that there are multiple different gender identities beyond just Male and Female some which are mentioned in The 57 Bus and others that are not. This would be the introduction video after the students have had time to read the first third of the book to help familiarize themselves with the topic of gender identities.

·         Following right after the gender identities video we would move towards the pronouns video which not just briefly explains the gender identity but instead also focuses on the pronouns. For this video we would focus mostly on the first couple minutes (0:00-2:12) specifically what it means to use the pronouns and how it is important for Sasha’s identity in the novel.


·         This image would be used as a guide for showing where the bus route had taken Sasha and Richard along their bus route. This image would be a guide when referencing the novel and would give the students a visual of where exactly this crime had taken place.

Day 2
·       In this clip from the KRON 4 News story, this is the coverage of Sasha’s upkeep and how they are doing post being out of the hospital. This would give the students the understanding of who Sasha is as well as what they had been struggling with. As well in the news coverage there was a snippet addressing Richard’s standings in court which would introduce a discussion about Richard and how the law treats juveniles at the time.

·         This site offers the changing of California Bill 1391 which states that, “Senate Bill 1391 eliminates the ability to try a defendant under the age of 16 as an adult, thereby sending them to prison” which is an important struggle for Richard’s case. This would be used to allow the students to reevaluate what they would do if they were given the opportunity to change the rules. 

Day 3
·         This speech would be used and printed out to students. For this we would distribute this out to the students and have them analyze the speech as well as look into what Slater’s real reasoning for writing The 57 Bus and what the importance of it was to her. 

***INSERT LESSON PLAN***

·         This video is the closest I could find to examining Richard’s side of the story. Here this is a wrap-up to the lesson plans to examine how not only Richard but as well how his school is taking to the accident. Students may also use this video to expresses hate crime definitions to analyze that with the class. 




  •       This last image is that to completely wrap up the lesson. This poster comes from the GLSEN (pronounced “Glisten”) website which can be distributed amongst classrooms to provide a safe space for students of the LGBTQ+ community. This would be shown and explained to students after the lesson to let the students know in this school they are safe and protected.




Lesson and Activities

LESSON PLAN: The 57 Bus, Critical Thinking and Peer Collaboration 

Grade level: Middle School
Lesson Goal: Have students learn about the juvenile justice system by thinking critically about how actions can affect others.
Common Core Outcomes:
1.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.3
Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
2. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
3. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5
Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
4.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Lesson Plan:
This activity will take place after the class has finished the novel. The teacher will pass out the handout explaining that the students will now be asked to think critically about the case. This assignment will require themselves to examine the case as if they are the lawyer, and attempting to shorten the amount of time spent in court, as well as arguing for a good deal for Richard and Justice for Sasha. Using the book, they will have to look at the trial and think of ways it could have ended differently. They are to be given ten minutes to come up with three ideas that could have possibly helped in the case. After the class has comes up with ideas, they are to form groups where they discuss and deliberate on which ideas could have helped the most for another ten minutes. After, the whole class would come together to share their ideas on their case. This lesson will help the students to think critically about the novel and examine the main aspects of the plot, as well as improve interpersonal communication through debate and collaboration with their peers.  


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