From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

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

Angie Thomas

Start date: June 12, 2017

Finish date: June 30, 2017

Discussion: Books of the Month

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What Members Thought

Nov 15, 2017 Michael rated it it was amazing

A good book can take places you’ve never been.

A great book not only takes you to places you’ve never been, but has those places linger in your thoughts after the final page is turned.

In the past couple of months, I’ve read two books that have taken me outside my typical worldview and have lingered in my thoughts long after the final page was turned. The first was the much (deservedly so) lauded The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and the other, as unlikely as it may seem, was a new collection of Ma A good book can take places you’ve never been.

A great book not only takes you to places you’ve never been, but has those places linger in your thoughts after the final page is turned.

In the past couple of months, I’ve read two books that have taken me outside my typical worldview and have lingered in my thoughts long after the final page was turned. The first was the much (deservedly so) lauded The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and the other, as unlikely as it may seem, was a new collection of Marvel’s Ms. Marvel comic book, Mecca.

Both stories feature strong female protagonists trying to make sense of the world they’re facing today in a coming of age story. Each novel challenges readers with some hot button issues, all the while giving insights into the daily world of each of its characters.

Whether it’s Starr’s brother tensing up when a police car pulls up alongside them, expecting to be pulled over for simply “driving while black” or Kamela trying to make sense of why she and people like her are being vilified by the changing of leadership in her New Jersey community, both stories offer some fascinating and stark insights into the day to day life. The only good news for Kamela is that the new leadership in question is fronted by the supervillain organization, Hydra and is something that can be more easily overcome and defeated than the “no-win” scenario presented to Starr.

In Hate, Starr is attending a party, when shots ring out. Fleeing with her old friend, Khalil, the two are pulled over by a white police officer. The situation quickly gets out of hand, ending with the police officer shooting and killing her friend. Starr finds herself not only hurting at the loss of her friend, but also the reaction of her friends, community and the world at large. The hardest part of Hate is that no matter how hard Starr tries to do the right thing, it appears the deck is stacked against her and the truth she’s witnessed. As Khalil is vilified in the media, Starr tries to set the record straight and see justice for him. Along the way, she sees the true colors of some of her friends and community.

Neither story pulls any punches in relating the stories of Kamela and Starr. And it’s this that stayed with me long after I finished reading each of these stories.
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6 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2017 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library, kindle, 200in2017

Angie Thomas brings light to an issue that shouldn't still be an issue in 2017. And if this reaches more people, then finally we might be a whole nation.

Starr lives in a very poor area, but an area that affords her family enough money to send her and her siblings into a nice, private school. Sometimes she's neighborhood Starr, and other times she's private school Starr. But the night where she sees a white cop kill her best friend, well, now she's hiding Starr.

She doesn't want to cause trouble, ...more

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Jan 06, 2021 Olympia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: swapping-book, own-it

Excellent book, sat on my shelf for so long and finally I dove into it, and I never wanted to come out. You must see both sides to understand but yet it's not enough. Thank Angie Thomas for writing this story. Everyone in this country should read it. Starr, Khalil and the rest will stay with me for a long time. I've swapped it to a school in PA. Hopefully they will enjoy it as much as I did. ...more

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