The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Author: Angie Thomas

Title: The Hate U Give

Publication: February 28, 2017

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Length: 464 pp.

Source: Library
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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.

 "Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. 

I called him Khalil. 

                                                            The world called him a thug. 
He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I'll remember how he died." 

Review

My name is Starr Carter. I go to school in the better part of town because my neighborhood isn't the best. At Williamson, I can be whoever I want just not ghetto or angry. I work hard to keep Williamson Starr separate from who I am at home because the one time I did try to mesh both worlds, didn't work out well. 

"Keep your hands visible. No sudden moves. Only speak when spoken to."

But one night my struggle to keep my two lives apart crumbles. There on the ground my friend, Khalil takes his last breath and I can do nothing to help him. Now,  I live in the aftermath of his death wondering what I could've done to save him but I also feel guilt that I wasn't a better friend to him. Guilt that my silence will cost him justice. Fear that nothing will change.

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

I liked the characters in this book because they are realistic, the struggle they face in their day to day lives is authentic. The writing is fluid and Starr's close perspective gives a personal perspective on this topic. Overall, I think this is a powerful message that is relevant and current. This was a hard story to read but it only begins to touch the surface of this matter but I think many will enjoy reading it.


Have you read the book? How did it make you feel? What are your thoughts about the subject matter?