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

Angie Thomas

Start date: April 1, 2019

Finish date: April 30, 2019

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Dec 04, 2018 Jen from Quebec :0) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: aty-challenge, books-read-in-2018, playlist-challenge, reading-challenge-books, 2018-tbr-challenge, books-i-ve-been-putting-off, female-authors, read-the-audio-book, school, buddy-reads

I cannot imagine simply reading this book without the AUDIO VERSION, as it was simply amazing and powerful and perfectly done, imo. Kudos to the narrator. Even if you HAVE read this book, it is worth checking out the audio....if you were thinking of trying out AUDIBLE for the 1st time, consider trying THIS title as your '1st free book' on the site.--Jen from Quebec :0) ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2018 Jenn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new-author-to-me, high-school-days, taboo-topics, young-adult, book-to-movie, contemporary, 4-star-reads, read-in-2018

I don't think there's really anything I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. This has been one of the most talked about books of the last year and now with the movie coming out, it will continue to be a topic of discussion. As it very well should be. This book deals with heavy topics that, sadly, are extremely relevant to what's going on in the world today.

16 year old Starr Carter is witness to one of the most traumatizing events of her life - her friend gunned down by a police ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2018 Shelley rated it it was amazing

Starr's story is one that will grab you and shake you until you understand what it is like to be a black girl in today's society. There were times while reading this that I felt uncomfortable because I saw things that I do as a person that I shouldn't. Ultimately, we can all improve on how we act and things we assume, but we need someone to tell us first hand how it affects the lives of others, and this book does that. We see the world through Starr's eyes, and even she is not without fault. We ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2019 Melanie rated it it was amazing

I can't believe it took me so long to read this. This was amazing and powerful. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 06, 2020 Priya rated it really liked it

Shelves: reading-women-challenge-2020, popsugar-reading-challenge-2020, 52-books-in-52-weeks-2020, read-in-2020

This is a book everyone should read, especially those who believe that race, colour of skin, looks or being different in some way should not affect the way people are treated.
Taking on probably the most familiar example of discrimination, racism against blacks in America, it tells a hard hitting story with a focus on police excesses against black youths.
Starr Carter straddles two totally different worlds - the all black community she lives in and the almost all white suburban prep school she att This is a book everyone should read, especially those who believe that race, colour of skin, looks or being different in some way should not affect the way people are treated.
Taking on probably the most familiar example of discrimination, racism against blacks in America, it tells a hard hitting story with a focus on police excesses against black youths.
Starr Carter straddles two totally different worlds - the all black community she lives in and the almost all white suburban prep school she attends. She has developed an alternate persona of sorts for school - talking in a certain way, never confrontational, not even using slang that white kids use in case that differentiates her from everyone else. She has friends in school, a white boyfriend and believes she is one of the crowd now.
This illusion is cruelly shattered when she witnesses her childhood friend, Khalil, being gunned down in the middle of a road by a policeman one night.
In shock and completely scared, Starr tries to get over the trauma and get on with life.
But then she realizes that absolutely no one seems to care that Khalil was murdered. He is being painted as a gang member and a drug dealer though nothing was found on his body. He was unarmed the night he was killed and did nothing to provoke the cop.
From what those she considers her friends say, Starr wonders whether Khalil deserved to die because he made some wrong choices at some point in his short, misguided life. He was just a kid!
And she also comes to the conclusion that if he has to get justice, she is the only one who can help him get it.. by using her voice to speak out about what really happened that night.
What's appalling immediately after the crime is the complete apathy of the law enforcement mechanism! Nobody cares about the victim being a kid! The fact that it was clearly prejudice and stereotyping of blacks that led to the cop's actions is completely glossed over. What's worse is the sympathy he elicits from some quarters on the basis that his life matters too, causing an enraged Starr to question why his life always matters more!
Starr knows that speaking out means consequences for her community, her family and herself. Yet what is a voice for if you keep quiet when you should use it?

This is the story of a crack in the wall of silence that surrounds crimes against people who aren't the same as the majority of others around them.
I loved Starr with all her teenage angst and quirks on one side and her strength and courage on the other, fueled by her sometimes cool, sometimes annoying, sometimes embarrassing but always loving family.
This is a story that will resonate with everyone and make people sit up and acknowledge that racism of the kind in evidence here, is a definite reality that needs to be systematically removed.

A definite must read. ...more

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