The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater won’t take you as far as a book like the “Hate U Give.” The 57 Bus is a nonfiction book, which gives the reader a look into the life of two teens living in Oakland, California. This book is a crime novel, which focuses on the justice system in America, and how it has affected two teens named Sasha and Richard.

In this true story, one of the characters, Richard sets Sasha’s skirt on fire while they were both riding on the 57 bus. The objective of this book is not to tell a story, but focuses more on the general justice system in the U.S. and how two minorities experience the process. This book is not a personal one, it does not connect to the reader, it is only trying to state facts. I would say that this book is not an adventure, it only lays out the facts for you to make an opinion, without using the characters in a personal way. 

In this book, the author is trying to teach a couple of important lessons. Because this is a non-fiction book, the author does not get to choose what the themes are, but still was able to express meaningful ideas. In the book, readers can see what the justice system in America is like for a person of color and a person who identifies as agender and how it affects the people and communities around. The author wants you to read about something that may be completely new to you or something you haven't thought about much. Even though it isn’t the author making and applying lessons to her book, I think that a message that is in the 57 Bus book is forgiveness. In the end Shasha forgives Richard, and so does their family. I feel like that is an important moment and shows that forgiveness can help people on both sides of the problem.

Even though this book did a good job of showing me one side of the justice system in America, the characters were not personal and connected with me. The book kept switching back and forth between two people. Which made me confused, and not satisfied. I wouldn’t consider this book to be a masterpiece, it sounds more like a report about the tragedy that took place in the book. This book does not immerse you into the setting and into a fiction world, it keeps reminding the reader that this is a non-fiction book. This affects the book by making it sound like a criminal record, not a young adult book. And if you are a teen like me, if a book doesn’t immerse you, it doesn’t interest you as much. This book has two main characters, and starts off with Sasha who identifies as agender. The first part, which talks about them, is definitely the best part of the entire book. It even gets the reader to connect with the book at some moments. I think that I was able to connect with Sasha because they were relatable, with a relatable experience. But then the author decides to switch with the other main character, Richard. Even though Richard’s point of view is interesting, I didn’t find it to be as appealing as Sasha's part. Richard talks for the most part about his experience with death. Overall this book wasn’t annoying to read, it’s just I didn’t enjoy it. And while it might address some of the issues that our society faces today, I don’t think that this book was written in a way that fully captured my attention.