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

Angie Thomas

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2017 Read Harder Challenge

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What Members Thought

Apr 24, 2017 Samantha rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookclub, poc-author-2017

There's really nothing that I can say in a review that hasn't already been said better by someone smarter than I am. But what I will say is that this is an incredibly important read, that I hope becomes required reading in schools across the nation. ...more

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Apr 04, 2018 Laura Vultaggio rated it really liked it

This book is wonderfully accessible and rings true. It is an important read for all young people, especially those who are not exposed to many people who come from different backgrounds than their own. It is definitely YA Lit so the unpacking is less literary and more cultural. I would highly recommend it!

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Sep 01, 2017 Molly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-lit, on-the-classroom-shelf, recommended, 5-stars, realistic-fiction, read-in-2017

This is fantastic, as expected. It took me an embarrassingly long time to read this book, considering I bought it back in June! But anytime a book is this hyped and buzzed about, there's always the risk that it won't live up to the buzz. I think I was more worried about not liking this book, and not being able to explain why. Thankfully that's not the case, as I loved it, and in spite of the language I will be adding it to The Shelf, because dammit kids swear and this is a story they need to hea This is fantastic, as expected. It took me an embarrassingly long time to read this book, considering I bought it back in June! But anytime a book is this hyped and buzzed about, there's always the risk that it won't live up to the buzz. I think I was more worried about not liking this book, and not being able to explain why. Thankfully that's not the case, as I loved it, and in spite of the language I will be adding it to The Shelf, because dammit kids swear and this is a story they need to hear. It's realistic, which means it's messy - things don't work out perfectly even though you may want them to. But Thomas ends on a message of hope (that had me crying into my desk and trying to blink away tears before my students noticed!).

The plot has been explained a million times, but here goes anyway. Starr is the only witness when her friend Khalil is killed by a police officer. The two of them had actually been fleeing a party where shots were fired, and weren't doing anything wrong except being black teenagers. After Khalil's murder, Starr is faced with some tough decisions - she's the only witness, and she knows the cop was in the wrong, but she's afraid of the consequences of speaking up. Starr also faces issues at her private school, where she's one of the only black kids - she's kept that part of her life pretty much hidden from her white friends, so she's trapped between two worlds when news of Khalil's murder and the protests surrounding it start to bleed into her Williamson life.

I love the way Thomas describes how Starr moves between her two worlds. She's very careful and calculated - can't be too "hood" at Williamson, can't get too angry (lest she be labeled "angry black girl"), but she also has automatic cool points just by being black (so she can make a fool of herself on the dance floor and everyone thinks she's amazing). It all felt very real - I'm sure there are girls out there like Starr who have to do the same sort of navigating on a daily basis. I can't even imagine how exhausting that must be.

Also, shout out to Starr's amazing parents. I am a sucker for great parents in YA (it's sad how few and far between they are - apparently shitty parents are great shorthand for under developed characters). But I loved Starr's parents. They're tough but fair and they allow themselves to be goofy, and even Starr enjoys how cute they are together ("I know they're my parents, but they're my OTP" Adorbs). Just nice to finally see some YA parents who are both fully present and behave like actual humans.

In all, loved it. Can't wait to see what Angie Thomas writes next. ...more

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Aug 07, 2018 Deb rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audiobook, bipoc

Bought this for my daughter, then decided I should also read it. Bahni Turpin did an excellent job with the reading, with really distinct voices for each character.

Sometimes too preachy, but for the most part, I thought the characters and story had depth and complexity. For the white community, these kinds of books are an important education in what it's like to be black in America. Really glad I listened to it. ...more

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Apr 12, 2018 Aleetha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, ireadthesebookswithyou, piles-and-piles-of-my-books

This book made me feel so uneasy after reading its first few chapters. I was so worried something worse happened to Starr and her family.

Brutality or any kind of violence must be stopped.

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