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92 pages 3 hours read

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives (2017)

Nonfiction | Book | YA | Published in 2017

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Reading Questions & Paired Texts

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction and Part 1

Reading Check

1. As the reader learns in the Introduction, what is the actual length of time that Richard and Sasha spend together on the bus?

2. What social media site does Sasha post on to showcase their quirky and offbeat writing in long-form entries?

3. How old was Sasha when they began reading?

4. What condition has Sasha been diagnosed with that can “make them awkward socially”?

5. What does Samantha reveal to Sasha in the section called “Gran Turismo 2”?

6. What cause does Sasha petition for on Whitehouse.gov that receives over 27,000 signatures in 30 days?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. How does the author’s choice to use a more narrative non-fiction style affect the overall messaging of the book?

2. What is “Astrolinguish”? What does it demonstrate about Sasha’s relationship to gender and language?

3. Describe the general difference between “sexuality” and “romantic,” as defined by Sasha in the section called “Genderqueer.”

Paired Resource

Teen Set Ablaze on AC Transit Bus Describes Ordeal to KRON 4

  • In this local news segment for a Bay Area news channel, Sasha is interviewed in the immediate aftermath of their experience being burned by a teen on a public transit bus.
  • Sasha talks about the outpouring of support they received from strangers in the wake of their attack.
  • What strikes you most about Sasha’s interview here? How does the segment portray Sasha as compared to Richard? What connections might be made from the article to the book’s theme of The Impact of Social and Economic Inequality on People and Community Relationships?

Part 2

Reading Check

1. What social media app begins Richard’s section of the story in Part 2?

2. Name one of the sights, smells, or sounds from Richard’s first day named in the poem “First Day.”

3. What fraction of Oakland High School students did not graduate in the year of the incident between Sasha and Richard?

4. What is the name of Oakland High’s truancy coordinator?

5. Who is Jasmine?

6. One of Jasmine’s sisters has an untimely, violent death. How does she pass away?

7. Where does Richard meet his friend Skeet?

8. As discussed in the section “If,” for what is the city of Oakland is known?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In “Book of Faces,” the author writes a poem about how she views Richard. Analyze the concluding stanza of the poem, which is as follows: “None of it captures/how he looks in conversation/How his eyes hold your eyes,/seeing you see him./His own secret power:/that paying attention.”

2. Why does the author go into the background and history of Oakland High’s truancy coordinator? What happened in her past?

Paired Resource

School-to-Prison Pipeline

  • The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) describes their commitment to disrupting what is commonly referred to as the “school-to-prison pipeline.”
  • The ACLU also describes what is at stake if the pipeline is not challenged, as well as the social factors that cause and sustain the pipeline.
  • Are Richard and his friends part of the school-to-prison pipeline? If yes, how so?

The School-to-Prison Pipeline, Explained

  • In this 3-minute video, Vox succinctly explains the phrase “the school-to-prison pipeline.”
  • The damaging effect on children when “schools outsource discipline” to the police is discussed, along with how the school-to-prison pipeline disproportionately affects Black and brown students from low-income areas.
  • What conclusions might be drawn based on the statistics shared in the video? What connections can you make between the video’s information and Part 2 of The 57 Bus?

Part 3

Reading Check

1. What reputation does Richard’s older cousin Lloyd have?

2. Why does Sasha opt to take the bus to school, even though it is an hour-long commute?

3. What word best describes Richard’s and Lloyd’s moods as they board the bus?

4. What object does Sasha have in their hand after the flames are put out?

5. Roughly how long does an ambulance take to arrive and address Sasha’s injuries?

6. What percentage of Sasha’s body do doctors estimate is covered in burns?

7. How many letters does Richard write to Sasha within two weeks after the fire incident?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What “mixed media” does the author deploy in her literary style to capture the moments immediately before Richard sets Sasha’s skirt on fire?

2. Why do over 90% of the juveniles arrested in the United States not contact their parents upon their arrest?

Paired Resource

California Plans to Close Troubled Youth Prisons After 80 Years. But What Comes Next?

  • After nearly 8 decades of scandal and alleged mistreatment of the inmates, California plans to close their youth prisons in July 2023.
  • Juvenile justice nonprofits’ investigation into these youth facilities led to this decision. In 2019, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice released a report that found that staff at these youth facilities “abet violence, reinforce racial and ethnic conflicts, and legitimize institutional gangs.” 
  • How does Racism and Bias in the American Criminal Justice System affect the way that Richard is apprehended and processed by police? How does it resemble the typical ways juvenile offenders are handled by the criminal justice system, as outlined in the article? Do you think California is making the right decision to close these facilities?

Part 4

Reading Check

1. Two months after his arrest, Richard returns to court and submits a petition. What does he request from the judge? 

2. What adjective does Richard’s lawyer use to describe the idea of applying restorative justice to Richard’s case?

3. When was Richard offered a plea deal? Specify the month and the year.

4. What are two examples of binary that the author cites in the poem entitled “Binary”?

5. What timeline is documented in the “Gender-Neutrality Milestones”?

6. What percentage of the incarcerated youth population is comprised of Black youths?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What Biblical story does Richard study in juvenile hall? What is the larger significance of the story?

2. The author draws upon a case in which an Oakland High student slapped a fellow student’s butt to illustrate the concept of “restorative justice.” The author goes on to say that restorative justice allows people to “hold two things in [their head] at the same time” (239). What does the author mean by this?

Recommended Next Reads

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

  • A 2017 work of realistic fiction that tells the story of a 17-year-old Black student, Justyce McAllister, who is wrongfully arrested because of his race.
  • The book deals with themes of Racism and Bias in the American Criminal Justice System and The Impact of Social and Economic Inequality on People and Community Relationships.
  • Dear Martin on SuperSummary.com

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

  • A 2014 work of non-fiction which interviews six trans and nonbinary youth who discuss several topics including mental health, bullying, and their experiences with transitioning.
  • This book connects to the theme of The Importance of Gender Identity.
  • Beyond Magenta on SuperSummary.com

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