The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas Blurb:Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.Okay, so I've been putting off reading this book although I was really interested in it. Firstly, because I like to wait a while before reading really popular books until the hype has died down. Secondly, I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. However, I finally caved and I was not disappointed. Yes, the writing is simple and, since I'm not American, some of the references threw me occasionally, but once I'd read the first couple of chapters I was totally hooked. I could have read it in one sitting if not for work!This book is really relevant at the moment and I can understand why it's taken off the way it has, but this book is about so much more than the main storyline, which is police brutality and the black movement. It's about family, friends, being yourself and freedom of speech. I thought Starr was a great character and loved seeing how she developed and grew throughout the story. I liked how it examines the morals at play; just because people do bad things, doesn't mean they're bad. People do things all the time because they feel they have no choice and then get stuck in situations and just because someone's a drug dealer doesn't mean they deserve to be shot for doing nothing. The ending, the results of Khalil's case, was disappointing, but more realistic because of it; unfortunately in real life it happens all too often. The only thing that bugged me a little was that, despite Uncle Carlos who's a detective, it felt like all cops were portrayed as the bad guys. Most of them are just doing their jobs and it's the few which give them all a bad name. However, thinking about black parents feeling the need to teach kids as young as Sekani what to do if they're stopped by a cop is just heartbreaking and maddening. Things need to change and if readers of this book didn't somehow already know that, this book should tell them.I'm in a bit of a book hangover after reading this and need a couple of days just to think about it before starting to read anything else. A book I would definitely recommend. My favourite quotes from 'The Hate U Give':'I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down.Now I'm that person and I'm too afraid to speak.''If I kill Tyrone, I'm going to prison. If a cop kills me, he's getting out on leave.' 'A lot of my memories include him, but a lot of my firsts don't. First day of school, the first time I lost a tooth, the first time I rode a bike without training wheels. In those memories, Uncle Carlos's face is where Daddy's should've been. I think that's the real reason they're always fighting.' 'Good-byes always hurt the most when the other person's already gone.' 'Funerals aren't for dad people. They're for the living.' 'You wanna be a man so bad, but men don't care what nobody thinks.' 'Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.' 'I hate that I let myself fall into the mindset of trying to rationalize his death. And 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.' 'You haven't set a good example of what a black man should be. You've set a good example of what a man should be.' 'I'll never give up.I'll never be quiet. I promise.'