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. {cover copy}
I'm sure you've heard this before, if you have seen anything about this book, but this is an important book. As an upper-middle-class white girl {yeah, I'm part Native American, but let's be honest, unless you're looking at my side profile and I'm wearing my hair straight with a middle-part, you wouldn't know that by looking. I'm basically just a tan white girl} who is more open and receptive than a lot of the people she knows IRL {no offense, but it's true} I found this book to still be eye-opening in ways that I can improve my thinking and my actions toward POCs. I can only imagine the impact it might have on those more close-minded. I wish that I could recommend it to everyone I know, but I fear that some would not hear the message. Regardless, this was such a great book. It was funnier than I expected. Starr's family prayers especially had me cracking up. Between this and the "Dear White People" show on Netflix, which I binged around the same time as reading this, I'm really starting to get a better sense of what POCs go through in their daily lives that make it harder, even when they are able to take advantage of opportunities. This is such a great example of the importance of diverse writers and main characters, because without those perspectives, how will we truly start to see through other's eyes? Also, it makes me thankful that I did not have to face that kind of struggle because of my skin color but also it makes me aware that I still have struggles because of being female. And imagine the struggles when you start piling on the supposed "disadvantages" like your skin color and your gender and your sexual preference and so on. It just makes you think. Which is exactly what a book should do.  100% recommend. 

I shouldn't have come to this party. {first line}
"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

"At the end of the day, you don't kill someone for opening a car door. If you do, you shouldn't be a cop."

"At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them."

"Lord, bless my mom, and thank you that she went into her retirement fund and gave us the money for the downpayment. Help us turn the basement into a suit so she can stay here sometimes." // "No, Lord," Daddy says. // "Yes, Lord," says Momma. // "No, Lord." // "Yes." // "No, amen!"

"Brave doesn't mean you're not scared."

• promise • {last word}