The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor black 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, Khalil's death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr's best friend at school suggests he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protesters take to the streets and Starr's neighborhood becomes a war zone. 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 destroy her community. It could also endanger her life.
black lives matter.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ When I started reading this book- I knew it was going to be hard for me to get through. The subject matter is tough. But honestly it was the Ebonics that was really getting to me. Eventually though, I was in their world and I was able to read it easily and seamlessly. Kind of similar to starting a Jane Austen novel with all of the old English.The Hate U Give is definitely one of the best of 2017. I think that's a consensus all around because it won the GoodReads Best Young Adult Fiction award for 2017. I want to state again- this wasn't an easy read. And it's 5 out of 5 so it should be read. This is the kind of book that sits with you after you read it. It is classified young adult- but I am re-labeling it. This is a book that Every American Should Read. This is a book that people wanting to understand a lot of the feelings behind the black lives matter movement- should read. (Whether you agree with the movement or not, you should read this! The perspective is important).I'm sitting here trying to think about what to write for this review. The book is heavy. The subject about police brutality is current. The race relations in this book are realistic. The breakdown of life in poverty and the plight of the ghettoized is legitimate. It features a really strong heroine, a family you can rally behind (warts and all), and it really just felt real. I know Starr is fictional- but I dare you to read this book and not be haunted by the real life stories of lives taken that are interwoven in the pages.If you'd like to buy this book click here
