The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives is an emotional and compelling nonfiction story. 2013 in Oakland, California and assault takes place when an African American teen boy, Richard, sets fire to a gender-fluid white teen named Sasha who was sleeping on bus 57. Be prepared to navigate a barrage of emotions and the reality that very few situations are "black and white".
Amina's Voice is a novel that reads gently. It tackles weaving two cultures as Amina looks to find her internal strength and her voice. As Amina's community experiences a disturbing hate crime targets the strength of neighbors and friends helps all voices to rise together.
A few musings for others to consider as we vote for The 57 Bus to continue on in the Smackdown....
"I found the novel to be quite simplistic and basic, both in terms of the character development and the overall writing style. As I read, I tried so hard to become invested in Amina’s story. Soon, my worries about relating to the character turned into wondering, "when will this start getting interesting?" I'll be blunt about it... I was bored."
"I must say that initially, I grappled with her "news reporter" approach to writing. I found that, at times, the writing seemed to lack emotion and the characters tended to be quite detached. I don't know quite how to put it into words... but, overall, she did do a wonderful job of weaving the 2 sides into one succinct, narrative."
"The book overall felt unfocused and took on many serious issues with a light hand. Everything was simple and simplified – which felt like a disservice to the issues (racism, identity, etc) Khan was bringing up. The plot read as superficial and without a driving force. What I thought would be the central conflict changed a couple times through the book and in the end, it left me feeling disappointed and wondering… what did I read? "
"I genuinely liked this novel. The style of writing drew me in and it felt like I was reading a Netflix docuseries. I was intrigued. I had a movie playing in my head whilst reading. I liked how not everything was revealed up front. I thought it was a smart choice to give equal air time to the major players of the incident. "
"I thought 57 Bus was a powerful book - immediately recommended it to my 16 year old daughter and friends"
"Amina's voice was pleasant but not inspiring"
"I read Amina's Voice, enjoyed it but found it simplistic and a bit cliched"
Initial thought about The 57 Bus: "my first take is that it is very American"
Submitted by: Maureen (on behalf of the whole group - Nancy, Joanna, Cindalee, Rachel, JT and Maureen)
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