The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Published by HarperCollins ISBN: 9780062498557
on February 28, 2017
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Prejudice & Racism, Emotions & Feelings
Pages: 464
Source: Purchased
Check it out in Goodreads
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
It took me about a year to finally pick up this book, and then two more months until I finished it. I don’t know what on earth I was thinking. I definitely should have read this sooner.
Who is this book for?
When you have a book that deals with this kind of social themes so unapologetically, you have to wonder, was this for me?, or is it for black people? What did Angie Thomas really wanted to say? Or was it supposed to be just a snapshot of reality?
I don’t have the answer. But the book is out there, open for interpretation. And it’s universal enough it’s been on the NY Times bestseller list for ages. People with all kinds of backgrounds have read it. So I’m just going to talk about how it make me feel.
I was uncomfortable, yes
I’m not going to lie: I didn’t really like Starr at times. And sometimes, I couldn’t tell if that was the author’s way of bringing a whole lot of other issues to light, or if it was just me, and I had to confront my own internalized issues.
For me it wasn’t a book that gave me answers, but I appreciated its ability to make me start asking some hard questions.
The characters were perfect
There was a line in Starr’s world. There was Garden Heights, where Starr lives with her family, and then there’s the suburbs, and her school world, where most of the people she interacts with are white.
I see her interact with all these people and that opens the gate for a flood of perspectives from everyone around her. There is her boyfriend, her friends, her uncle and his family, her own parents, her neighborhood, the press, the police… Everyone has an opinion.
I think that’s what’s so magnetic about this book. It offers a 360° view things. Starr doesn’t have a one track mind in regards to what happened to her friend. She’s scared, she’s angry, and sad, and proud, and hopeless, but so damn thankfull for her family and their support.
It’s a book we’ll keep thinking about for a long time.
Love this book!! It was amazing – brought up so many important topics.
Yes! Now I just need to catch up and watch the movie 🙂
Great review! I also felt uncomfortable when reading it, but I think that’s the point. I loved the characters and the way they behave depending on where they are or who they are around 😊 And of course, it made me ask myself important questions too.