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The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)

Angie Thomas

Start date: October 1, 2017

Finish date: October 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: October is a free-for-all for books. The voted on book is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
[close] October is a free-for-all for books. The voted on book is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

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Monthly Group Reads

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What Members Thought

Jan 29, 2018 Stacey rated it it was amazing

This novel is perfect. It hits hard on #blacklivesmatter and made me feel it. It mad me sad, angry, happy, and maybe a little hopeful.

Starr goes to a mostly white well-to-do high school that her parents drive her to from their poor neighborhood. While attending a party with her friends from the neighborhood where she lives, she has a past crush drive her home. It's on the way home they are pulled over by the police and she experiences first hand the injustice that black people experience in the ...more

53 likes · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2017 Wendy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5000-books, jan-18

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, is an incredibly powerful story!

"Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right."

This novel should be read not only for its realistic and heart-wrenching story but for the extremely important message relating to humanity it delivers.

Bravo Ms. Thomas for creating a story that can make a difference! ...more

44 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2017 Kristy rated it really liked it

Shelves: a-real-book-wow, ya, from-the-library, fiction, read-in-2017

Starr Carter lives a divided life. At sixteen, she spends part of her life in her impoverished inner city neighborhood and another portion in the suburbs, attending an elite prep school, where she is one of a handful of African American students. Starr feels like she is two Starrs, and she keeps these two people very separate, with a different set of friends and personas for each world. But her careful facade is threatened when her childhood best friend, Khalil, is killed by a police officer. St Starr Carter lives a divided life. At sixteen, she spends part of her life in her impoverished inner city neighborhood and another portion in the suburbs, attending an elite prep school, where she is one of a handful of African American students. Starr feels like she is two Starrs, and she keeps these two people very separate, with a different set of friends and personas for each world. But her careful facade is threatened when her childhood best friend, Khalil, is killed by a police officer. Starr is with Khalil when he is shot--unarmed--and her life will never be the same. In the aftermath, the media begins to call Khalil a drug dealer and a gang member. But speaking up about what she saw isn't so simple, especially when not everyone wants to hear the truth.

You've probably heard about Thomas' debut novel by now--it's been getting a lot of coverage and truly, deservedly so. This is definitely a powerful, eye-opening, and timely story. Thomas has created an excellent main character in Starr, whose voice shines clear and strong in the book. Her struggle to fit into two worlds is one many can relate to: Starr's just happens to have life and death consequences. Starr has wonderful, supportive parents and two humorous brothers who fill out the book with a realism and warmth that's hard to describe. Thomas is superb in capturing her characters' voices, and I found myself easily able to picture Starr and her family. I especially loved such snippets that made them jump off the pages--for instance, the family settling down to watch NBA basketball, complete with all their little superstitions (I've definitely been there) was perfect.

Starr's story isn't always easy to read (nor should it be), but it offered strong insight into the systemic problems facing African American communities--much of it framed by Starr's pragmatic parents. I thought some things tied up too easily, but I was still very profoundly affected by the story. I loved Starr and her tough yet vulnerable self. I loved her parents, their love, and their history. Her brothers cracked me up. At its core, this is a story about family, as well as identity and race. It's important, serious, heartbreaking, and yet sometimes really funny. It's also beautiful, powerful, and definitely worth a read.

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ...more

23 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2017 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Starr, a 16 year old girl living in a high crime inner city neighborhood in the United States. She is the witness to a close friend's murder by a policeman and has to make the biggest decision of her young life. Should she testify to what happened and risk repercussions for herself and her family? What will happen to her neighborhood? How must she conduct herself at the predominantly white upper middle class private high school that her parents have put her in for her own safety? As she traverse ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Aug 07, 2017 Kay Dee (what is your storygraph name? mine is in my bio. join me!) Meadows rated it really liked it

took me a long time to finish this book because of all the feels but i did it. it lives up to the hype. nuff said.

15 likes · Like · see review

Aug 10, 2017 ColumbusReads rated it liked it

3.25 stars

A wonderful debut. Starr becomes a teenage activist after witnessing her good friend murdered at the hands of a cop. A fantastic YA book and I'm looking forward to more work by Angie Thomas. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2018 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018, audio, fiction, i-own, ya

I finished this one a few weeks ago, and still I’m thinking about it. If given the choice definitely go audio - this is a phenomenal production - the reader is perfect in every way. And the story is timely and gripping. Go. Do it. Now.

4 likes · Like · see review

Jun 12, 2018 Christina rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, cultural-african-american, african-american, lauryn-s-future-reading-list, contemporary, race, social-movements-social-justice, teen, realistic-fiction

No one should be a witness to their friend's murder at the hands of a police officer especially when they are not doing anything criminal.

Astounding how realistic the scene is - normal life is going on as planned until a cop decides that he needs to shoot and kill a teenager opening his car door. No questions asked... BANG, BANG, BANG!

Racial profiling... wake up black and you might get shot! This country is right now going through the turmoil of bad cops abusing power and their oath of protect No one should be a witness to their friend's murder at the hands of a police officer especially when they are not doing anything criminal.

Astounding how realistic the scene is - normal life is going on as planned until a cop decides that he needs to shoot and kill a teenager opening his car door. No questions asked... BANG, BANG, BANG!

Racial profiling... wake up black and you might get shot! This country is right now going through the turmoil of bad cops abusing power and their oath of protecting serving. No one of color is safe from the police. NO ONE. Not a kid, not a teenager, definitely not a full grown man. Our color threatens them... they believe we are a superpredator... as if we have the power to overpower them and kill them with superhuman strength. Now we are seen as more than a human/monster vs less than a human/citizen. This though, this racial profiling, getting killed, shot, hung, lynched, whatever you want to call it, is NOT new. This has been happening for decades, generations and beyond. History is only repeating itself in a new technological way. Black people are not surprised... white people have been getting away with murder since we were brought here *scratch that* kidnapped.

It is devastating to see a young man be murdered without cause... only for his reputation to be smeared by the very people who killed him... he's on trial, when he's the one dead... funny how that goes. "The Hate You Give" gives you the eye-witness aftermath of how killings like this affect the community they live in, go to school in, and work in. Everyone is affected.

Tupac coined "Thug Life" meaning - The hate you give little infants f**ks everyone.

When you dismantle a young person's life in ways such as this, they grow up wanting to destroy everything around them. There is no coming back... living a life seeking revenge in ways that they can't even explain. Mothers, fathers being ripped out of homes affects the children who grow up affected and retaliate because of those voids.

This book showcases the aftermath of police brutality. It also parallels a life lived on the other side of the tracks as a black person. How you have to be 2 people... ashamed at how you grew up because you want to be on an equal level as white people or others... you can't be yourself because you will be judged. Not for the content of your character, but by your surroundings.

This book is definitely for young adults. Not an adult book, so if you are looking for something not YA that talks about these issues, this book is not for you. This book comes from a young teenage perspective, language and all. The book may be limited in some areas, but I believe it is designed to do that because it comes from a teenage perspective and needs to stay in the confines of the teenage mind.

Starr, the main character, shows us life after a wrongful shooting of her childhood best friend, and is the eyewitness to his murder. In the face of trying to do the right thing with speaking out in court and protecting her family, she is put into situations she never would have imagined. All while trying to have a relationship with a white boy from school and protesting racial profiling and police brutality.

I would rate this book a 4. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2021 Carly rated it really liked it

Very touching book. It made me smile,it made me angry and it made me sad. At the end it made me tear up. This is sadly, very real in communities across America an so much needs to change.
Reading a book like this will give people perspective.
Highly recommend

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Jun 30, 2018 Janet T rated it really liked it

Passing this to my 16 year old to read next, and looking forward to discussing it with him. A difficult but important topic told from a fresh perspective.

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