Summary Of The 57 Bus By Dashka Slater

Consequential Decisions Many people challenge the following idea: how far can a prank go before it is no longer a joke? Richard Thomas, a 16 year old African-American male, battles this idea in Dashka Slater's narrative nonfiction book, The 57 Bus. While on the bus with his friends, Richard gets pressured into lighting a sleeping person’s skirt on fire as a funny prank. The prank immediately gets out of hand and results in his arrest and the hospitalization of the victim. Intended as a joke, the media views Richard as a terrible monster for what he’s done. Slater writes about Richard and his journey defying stereotypes as a black male, who is growing up in a violent area and deemed just as violent. Richard fights against a “single story,” and Slater shows

Dashka Slater looked at Richard’s social media posts and made poems describing each one. She does this to express Richard’s kind and caring personality. In them, she describes Richard as, “Smiling beside his cousin’s slit-eyed hilarity. Soft-eyed on a sofa, younger brother cuddled on his chest” (Slater 59). Dashka Slater writes these poems to demonstrate to the reader that Richard is loving his family. Through these poems, the reader can also see that Richard is smiling and positive, showing his kind heart. Though portrayed as a cruel kid through the media’s eyes, Richard has many traits that show that he’s actually a very sweet kid. The media views him one way, but through the poems we are able to see the real Richard. During Slater’s interview with Richard’s school friends, everyone shares their experiences with Richard, which proves that he isn’t the bad kid the news makes him out to be. At the school, many of Richard’s friends came together to share their experiences they had with Richard. None of these people know each other, but they come together and share the love Richard has shared with