Everyone should read Dhalgren!! It's more dystopian sci-fi than fantasy and it doesn't exactly have a happy ending, but it has tons of interesting people of color and non-straight characters. Plus mythological creature holograms!

This was great and super interesting (and now I've commented way too many times...)!! I spend about half my waking life on the bus and it shows you so much about where you are. I love how you connect these bus rides to larger realizations. You should write more about your work in development too!

I went to LA a few years ago and took the bus from Venice to Watts Towers. The people I was staying with told me LA didn't have buses when I asked how to get there. Then I when I said there were buses they told me not to ride them because they were super dangerous! The bus ride I took was totally fine and cheaper than I expected. People in NY can also be ridiculous about the bus even though the subway is way grodier!

Yes!! So true about buses and poverty. They are a total window into class issues. I live in Rio de Janeiro where there's a huge bus system that most people below the upper middle class depend on. It's extensive and somewgat reliable but also extremely overcrowded and overpriced. Some of my friends have three hour commutes where they never get a seat. The mayor recently banned alternative transport vans and said it would be okay because people can just take taxis!!

In June there were big protests about an increase in bus fares (among many other things). I read this book about an earlier riot over public ferry boats and it said that protests are often set off by public transit because it's situation where people feel most dehumanized and mistreated by the government. This makes total sense to me when I wait hours for a bus or have to ride one that's so crowded I can't put both feet on the floor.