Review of “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas

Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. New York: Balzer & Bray, 2017.

ISBN-13: 978-0062498533 | $17.99 USD | 444 pages | YA Contemporary

Blurb

A three-time winner of Goodreads Choice Awards

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.

Review

5 stars

I know I am very late to the party in terms of reading The Hate U Give, but my mind seemed set on making up for it by racing through this 400-plus pager in an afternoon. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but this was very much an unputdownable book, reminding me of the prevalent problems that have plagued the Black community, being so raw and real and getting the point across about the reality of police brutality without feeling overly preachy.

I really liked Starr as a protagonist. She is in a very vulnerable place, dealing with the grief resulting from witnessing a friend’s death and this results in her becoming an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement to protest the disgusting pattern of police brutality against Black people.

And beyond that, I liked seeing her relationships with other characters. She has great relationships with her parents and siblings, and it’s so nice in YA to see a supportive family unit, as it seems a lot of them have some sort of issues. I also really liked seeing the nuanced relationships she has with her friends and classmates throughout, especially as her activism on the part of her community becomes more prominent.

This is an incredibly important book, and I can see why it’s been so hyped, even being used in schools. On the off chance I’m not the last person in the world to pick this up. I strongly suggest anyone who hasn’t to do so.

Author Bio

Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still lives in Jackson, Mississippi. A former teen rapper, she holds a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University. Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Fox 2000, starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman, Jr. Her second novel, On the Come Up, is on sale now.

Buy links

Bookshop (affiliate link)