SBS is All Aboard The 57 Bus

Well, it was a final round full of surprises. I was happy to see three books that I really liked end up neck and neck at the finish line; that’s what makes the Smackdown so mighty (well, in addition to Arlene and Dia). I was somewhat shocked that I actually finished my last book – The 57 Bus – almost three weeks ago, instead of my more usual 1:00 a.m. on the day the blog post is due. But most of all, I think we were all a bit shocked that there was a book that had the moxie to topple Poet X – a book we all loved – and that book was The 57 Bus.

I think it was three or four summers ago that I had a particularly fruitful summer of reading and came across two books – Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson and Unfair by Adam Benafardo -that have profoundly influenced my world view. I mention this because I thought of both of these books as I was reading The 57 Bus and not just because all three feature a clear eyed critique of a broken justice system, but also because they also share an abiding insistence on seeing hope through kindness and thoughtfulness. Bryan Stephenson’s mantra is this: “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” The 57 Bus shares this ethos and extends it: each of us is more than the worst thing that ever happened to us.

I vaguely recall reading about the singular event at the heart of this narrative years ago, and while it provides the starting point for Sasha and Richard’s interwoven stories, it is a testament to Slater’s writing that we don’t spend a lot of time immersed in that terrible moment. She paints a portrait of each of the protagonists that is rich and nuanced and given emotional depth through the people that love each of them. When I think of books I want to pass on to the young people in my life, I seem to lean towards the emotional connection I imagine them having with the text, but I also – and trust, I try my best to avoid those didactic, one note “lesson” books– try to think about what a kid can learn from the experience of reading. Like Poet X and Far from the Tree, I think there is something profound – and profoundly accessible – in The 57 Bus and I can’t think of any kids who wouldn’t connect with –and benefit from – reading this book.