By Dashka Slater
320 pages
The most important thing you need to know about this book is that it is important.
This book tells a true story of two teenagers, Sasha and Richard, growing up in Oakland, CA. The two did not know each other, but a trip home on a city bus thrusts them together.
Sasha is an agender teenager who uses the pronoun "they" and enjoys wearing skirts. They attend a fairly small private school where they are accepted by their classmates who they have grown up with. Sasha takes the city bus to and from school and likes the time on the bus because they are able to read.
Richard is a teenager who attends a public Oakland high school where he has occasionally gotten into trouble while running with the wrong crowd. He has known people who have been killed in the streets and he has been in and out of group homes, even though his mother and father (stepfather?) have a place for him. He has finally decided to work on getting his life together and meets with a type of social worker/counselor at his school. He wants to graduate.
One day, on their way home, Sasha falls asleep reading in the back of the bus. Little do they know, Richard, a friend, and a cousin board the same bus and begin laughing at Sasha's skirt. Pressured by his cousin, but making his own bad choice, Richard lights Sasha's skirt on fire. Richard and his friends jump off the bus and don't really know what happens at that point. Sadly, the skirt burns quickly and spreads onto Sasha's skin.
Fortunately for Sasha, there are good-Samaritans on the bus who jump to their aid. The bus stops and the other passengers are able to extinguish the flames using jackets. Sasha exits the bus and lays on the sidewalk. They call their father who comes immediately. Once at the hospital, it becomes apparent that the skin is burned off of Sasha's legs and they will require numerous surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy.
Meanwhile, Richard goes on with his day while the police are pulling cameras from the bus and the surrounding areas. Richard is soon arrested for his crime.
What I have to say about this book is that it is so well written. I'm not just talking about the sentence structure, but the entire composition of the book. It shows both sides of these lives. It shows how the judicial system works. It shows how families are affected by tragedies such as these. It includes a glossary of terms that are used by LGBT+ and asks for open minds.
While there is no doubt who is at fault for this crime, the author is also able to create sympathy for Richard as well
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I don't usually love reading non-fiction, but this book is just so well done and so important, that it should be read by everyone.
5 Stars