From the Bookshelf of ECIS Libraries Week 2021…

I read The 57 Bus on the recommendation of a friend and because it is a finalist for the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal. It is definitely the best youth nonfiction (and a terrific choice for adults) that I read from 2017 and I hope it wins the gold. Fingers crossed for results in February!

While riding the Oakland 57 bus home from school 16-year-old Richard uses extreme bad judgement and at the urging of a friend touches the edge of (sleeping) Sasha's skirt with a flame from a lighter

I read The 57 Bus on the recommendation of a friend and because it is a finalist for the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal. It is definitely the best youth nonfiction (and a terrific choice for adults) that I read from 2017 and I hope it wins the gold. Fingers crossed for results in February!

While riding the Oakland 57 bus home from school 16-year-old Richard uses extreme bad judgement and at the urging of a friend touches the edge of (sleeping) Sasha's skirt with a flame from a lighter. He jumps off at the next bus stop just as the skirt bursts into flames causing Sasha's legs to be severely burned. First reports of the incident labeled it a hate crime as Sasha identifies as an asexual person and chooses to wear skirts - and maybe at some level this was part of the reason that Sasha was targeted. But the story is not as simple as that and author Dashka Slater uses expert narrative structure and interviewing skills to lead us deeper into the issues. Through her book great insights can be gained into our evolving understanding of genderqueer identity, inner city challenges especially for kids in single-parent homes, the criminal justice system and the spinning of news to catch the most salacious angles. Both Sasha, Richard and their parents are wonderfully unique individuals and it is a pleasure to read about them and expand our understanding of their worlds and these events.