‘The Hate U Give’ is one book that offers a lot of education, information, and enjoyment to the reader. From the youthful infatuation of characters Starr and Khalil to the budding romance between Starr and her white boyfriend to the unexpected turn of events when Khalil was shot and killed in the presence of Starr, the book has a lot of action to keep a reader glued to the pages.

This is one book that never gets old as the pages and stories therein are always fresh and exciting. It is a beautiful story of Starr Carter, who is a 16-year-old girl from the poor, black community of Garden Heights. In their mostly black community, her protective dad Maverick owns the local grocery store. Starr and her siblings go to private Williamson Prep school about 40 minutes away in a rich white neighborhood because mom Lisa wants her kids to have a good education.

Dual personalities

Starr never felt totally okay with her existence in code-switching. She feels the disapproving glance mean girls give her at Williamson when she spends time with her white boyfriend, Chris. Yet she doesn’t feel like she belongs at the parties with her neighborhood friends. Starr and Khalil are old friends who reconnect at a party in ‘The Hate U Give’.

One day while riding home with her friend Khalil, they’re pulled over, and in a series of unfortunate events, Starr watches in horror as her friend is killed. Khalil reaches inside the car for his hairbrush but is gunned down by a white cop who thinks it was a gun. Seeing cable news reports or reading articles about young African-Americans being shot and killed is one thing, but for Starr, it hurts even more since it’s her second close friend to die via a bullet.

Finally, Starr decides to be the voice of Khalil but also, more importantly, to find her own. As she tells Chris in one of the great scenes that reflect the real-life fights of many that if he doesn’t see her blackness, then he doesn’t see her. This book is a coming-of-age story that fits in nicely with a great slate of other significant films with similar themes this year. In its own way, ‘The Hate U Give’ carry more weight because it deals with kids in their formative years.

Right from when Starr was a child, Maverick taught her what to do when pulled over by police but reminded his kids that “just because we have to deal with this mess, don’t you ever forget that being black is an honor, because we come from greatness.” that was a good foundation that Starr used to work out how best to live her own life and fight systemic prejudice.

Angie Thomas’s first novel, ‘The Hate U Give’, debuted at No. 1 after its release and, after 18 weeks on the list, is back in the top position. Thomas’s book made news (including a front-page New York Times profile) partly for its topical storyline and partly because Thomas herself, a 29-year-old from Jackson, Mississippi, is so cheerfully a symbol of change in the publishing industry. 

As a kid, she wondered if anything could happen to her, ‘the little black girl from the hood?’ This book is a beautiful read about a strong female protagonist who finds the courage to speak out against injustice. A page-turner that I devoured and would be suitable for any reader who is interested in the world and the events that shape it (which should be every reader). This incredible book offers a total understanding of inequality and also highlights the importance of taking a decision and meaningful action within our communities.

It’s amazing to see the ways Angie Thomas so accurately depicts the microaggressions directed toward black people and the accuracy of how the community treats one another. Taking into account the events of the last year, this sought book is essential as a tool to educate and convey marginalized voices. One of the main things to learn from this book is that ‘sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong.

 

A Great Book with a Fantastic plot

This is an excellent book to read with a strong plot and storyline, especially in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a book filled with good characters who portray a credible representation of the many challenges felt within a typical community of black American New York. Yet, you see the humanity, unity, and compassion they exhibited in their community. This togetherness brought a bit of hope to the tragedy.

‘The Hate U Give‘ is an important book to read touching on so many themes, although the main themes in the story are police brutality, racism, and Black Lives Matter. Starr, the main character, makes you empathize with what happens in the story and feel her day-to-day struggles while she also tries to fight for justice on behalf of her friend. This is a great book for group discussion. The publisher’s age recommendation is 14 plus, but I think given the content, I would suggest ages ten years and above.

This is an interesting book that was challenged for its portrayal of the police and its profanities – so a good book to introduce to students in any school. This novel was timely and important, which took a challenging topic and tackled the BLM movement head-on.

I love this book. It is interesting to see how many girls of African and Caribbean descent are drawn to this novel. ‘The Hate U Give‘ is an incredibly controversial book. Although I can’t fully relate to the issues the main characters dealt with, the author has written the novel in such a great way that anyone who reads it can understand and have an insight into the pain the black communities go through when one of their own is killed by police. It’s a topic that has been spoken about for years worldwide and is still as relevant today. It is important to keep these conversations going, and this book enables the younger generation to join the discussions and form their own compassionate opinions.

It was an amazing and meaningful book. I was overwhelmed yet pleased by the variety of emotions captured in the novel. Once in a while, someone tells a story that makes so much sense and is more vivid than the news, biographies, journal articles, and history books that try to explain it. Every young person should read this book and see why we shouldn’t be complacent about divisions, injustices, and inequalities related to race.