The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives (2017)

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the book over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Explain how the unique narrative structure of The 57 Bus impacts the overall messaging of the book.

• How does the use and style of section headings shape the narrative in general? (topic sentence)
• How does the style impact the reader’s understanding of Sasha’s and Richard’s story?
• In your conclusion, explain how the author’s technique of placing the reader within the narrative impacts the book’s message related to The Role of the Reporter in Narrative Nonfiction.

2. Explain how the author uses different types of texts in The 57 Bus, from official documents to poems to text messages.

• Why does the author use such a variety of sources? (topic sentence)
• What is the impact of each kind of text? Compare and contrast at least 3 of the different types of texts.
• In your conclusion, discuss how using mixed media in the book underscores 21st century Changing Social and Cultural Mores, along with the fragmentary nature of teenage life and the haphazard way that Richard’s and Sasha’s lives intersected.

3. Explain why the author begins The 57 Bus with the statement “There must be something you can do” (Part 1).

• What is the effect of this statement, and why does Slater address the reader so early in the text? (topic sentence)
• How does using the second person “you” place the reader in the text, as a participant of sorts? Analyze textual evidence from each of the book’s four sections in which the author addresses the reader as “you.”
• In your conclusion, discuss how the role of the reader, as well as The Role of the Reporter, creates a unique mode of storytelling in which the reader and author are not simply impartial observers.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Sasha’s decisions to come out as agender and to use the pronouns “they, them, themself” bring them attention from their peers. Write about the responsibility trail-breaking people have – or don’t have – to be standard-bearers for others, especially in terms of those trail-blazing individuals who seek to redefine and underscore The Importance of Gender Identity. Do we, as a society, have the moral imperative to lessen the social stigma and burden on those who break and redefine social conventions?

2. Is the intersection of Sasha’s and Richard’s lives completely random and senseless, or is it an inevitable product of their lives and circumstances? Think about The Impact of Social and Economic Inequality on People and Community Relationships. Consider how seemingly “random” events, or “fate”, in Richard’s and Sasha’s lives might be the direct result of the cultural and socioeconomic conditions in which both teens were raised. How does the author’s presentation of the text suggest her own opinion on this topic?

3. Describe the process of restorative justice and explain whether it should be integrated into the court system. Why? Why not? In your response, compare and contrast restorative justice with the U.S. legal system’s current modality of dispensing justice (retributive justice). Additionally, your response should draw from no less than 3 examples in the text in which Richard and/or his peers are mistreated due to Racism and Bias in the American Criminal Justice System.