Okay, when I first read the synopsis of this book, I thought the story was fictional a*hah* and it wasn't until after I started the story when I found out that this story is actually true. Not only did the storyline really bring me into wanting to read this book, it was also the fact that it took place in Oakland, a place that I am pretty familiar with. It's rare books ever take place in the Bay Area so when they do, I kind of jump to read them lol.

Anyway, this story is true, and tells the true story of an event that actually happened not too long ago. I was pretty young when it happened so I don't ever remember hearing about it so I  think that it's important to be informed about these type of events, especially when they take place so close to you. The story follows two teenagers, Sasha and Richard, and how one incident changes their lives.

I like how this story didn't just talk about the event between Sasha and Richard, but also went in depth and their backgrounds and how they were the people they were at the time of the event. There are many sides to the a story and I think Slater did a great job covering all perspectives to that story. Not only did it talk about Sasha, the victim of the situation, but also went pretty in depth about Richard, who he was, his past, and why he lit Sasha's skirt on fire.

The story also covers other topics: sexuality, race, and other issues that were apart of Sasha and Richard's life. Slater is a journalist, which is apparent in this book because there is so much information here, and it is really valuable information about these topics. I was actually surprised by how much research was done for this book - research into the City of Oakland, into Sasha's family and background, into Richard's past.

The writing style of this story played very well for all the information that was being presented in the story. Because of the writing style, the chapters weren't that long and there were a lot of stories being told on the, stories relevant to the people and events in the main storyline. These side stories gave more depth to the background of the characters, it gave more understanding on who the characters were. And both characters are interesting people as they've both had hardships through their lives so they both had unique stories and experiences that had allowed them to become who they were.

In general, I thought that this was a really good book. It was well written, well researched, and told both sides of the situation very well. The story is non-fiction, so I really think that it is a benefit to everyone to learn about events like the one told in The 57 Bus, especially if you're someone who lives near Oakland or in the Bay Area.

The 57 Bus

Okay, so like here is the deal. I don't got an issue with K-Pop or anything, like I think it's great how people don't even have to even be Korean to appreciate Korean music and culture but personally, it's just not my thing. Like my friends listen to it and stuff but me? Not much, which is why I found myself super surprised when I ended up totally falling for the K-Pop Indie playlists I found on YouTube.

I think I was watching a video on studying and taking notes (lol) when the girl mentioned that she studied to these playlists and I was like, hmmm maybe I should try this out. So like I did and holy crap I really loved it. Like, the main reason why I never really got into K-Pop was that I was just listening to music that I didn't even understand so like to me, there wasn't a big point to listening to music just for the....sound.

In the past I have definitely struggled with finding music to study or do homework to. I mean, it's kind of hard because the music can't be distracting but also has to kind of keep you awake. You don't want to end up simping in the middle of doing my homework or having a dance party so you have to find music that fits the in between. Before I kind of just put on a playlist that I was feeling at the time, but like, I always got sick of the playlist super fast. So when I heard one of these playlists I was lightweight shook, lightweight.

I mean the whole thing is kind of perfect, I love the vibes that the playlists send off and the fact that I can't really be distracted by them because I don't understand Korean. It's perfect background noise and I have been obsessed with them ever since. I put on a playlist, and 5 hours later I have played 4 other playlists as well and haven't even realized it.
My favorite channel of playlists is dandelions playlists. They've got longer playlists (playlists that go up to an hour and a half) and also shorter ones. My favorite playlist from them has probably got to be this one, which is an hour and a half a playlist I had on repeat for days. Eventually I started to subconsciously be able to tell which song was coming up in the playlist because I have listened to it so many times haha. Another channel that has really good playlist as well is this channel (the name is super long so I'm just going to link it lol). I don't listen to the playlists on this channel as much as I do dandelions playlists but I do listen to them occasionally.

So yeah, and that's how I totally fell head over heels for Korean Pop Indie Playlists. Find me jamming to this music while doing my homework, while cleaning my room, while basically doing...everything. If you want studying music I would definitely recommend checking out these playlists!