The Hate U Give in Crazy Challenge Connection

Mar 29, 2019 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, audio, movie, racism, young-adult, debut, concierge, library, social-commentary

Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the narrator of this contemporary novel that deals with some major social issues facing America. Starr and her friend Khalil are driving home from a party when they are stopped by a policeman, presumably for a broken taillight. Things go badly and Starr is left reeling from the trauma of the event, as well as her guilt and fear.

I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. Starr is, in many respects, a typical teenager. Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the narrator of this contemporary novel that deals with some major social issues facing America. Starr and her friend Khalil are driving home from a party when they are stopped by a policeman, presumably for a broken taillight. Things go badly and Starr is left reeling from the trauma of the event, as well as her guilt and fear.

I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. Starr is, in many respects, a typical teenager. She has a boyfriend (who she’s kept hidden from her parents), she works part time in her father’s store, she fights with her brothers, and hangs out with her girlfriends. But she also struggles with leading a dual life: Starr from the hood, whose father is an ex-con and former gang member, vs Starr the good pupil at a predominantly white private school.

Thomas gives Starr a relatively stable home environment: a family-owned house (including a fenced yard and vegetable garden), neighbors who look out for one another, and, most importantly, two parents who love one another, work hard, set a good example and try to give their children the education they’ll need to succeed. She also gives Starr a couple of very good friends, both at her high school and in the neighborhood.

The realities of living in an urban neighborhood that is stressed by unemployment, gangs, poverty, drug use and broken families are all present, however. Her parents give her “the talk” when she’s about twelve – No, not the birds and the bees talk (though they do that as well), but the “here’s how to behave when the police stop you” talk. Something that most parents never even consider a necessity. Starr is keenly aware of the differences in her own situation as opposed to that of her neighborhood acquaintances; and of the even larger differences between her home and that of her fellow students at her privileged high school.

I thought Thomas did a good job showing Starr’s emotional swings; she’s scared, angry, anxious, and numb. But she also experiences love, joy and humor. There are no easy answers here, and in fact the novel raises more questions than it gives solutions. But these are issues than need examining, and this is a great way to start the conversation.

Bahni Turpin does a superb job narrating the audio. She really shows the range of Starr’s emotions as the events unfold. I also liked the way she interpreted Maverick and Lisa (Starr’s parents), as well as her boyfriend, Chris. It’s an emotionally charged story, but Turpin never over-acted the story. Brava.
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Aug 03, 2018 Stacy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: five-stars, e-books, read-in-2018, books-to-movies

Such an amazing & relevant novel. I loved Starr & her family.

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Jun 23, 2017 Kristin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: stand-alones, contemporary, read-in-2018, favorites, read-in-2021

Breathtaking! I loved everything about it. This has become one of my favorite novels ever and will probably be my favorite book of 2018. I can't wait for more Angie Thomas novels.

Re-Read (January 2021): 5 stars
This book still hits! So many complex topics and issues discussed and I’m simply amazed. ...more

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Dec 16, 2018 Shan ~A~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: back-to-school, crime, favorites, young-adult, doctor-or-nurse

I really enjoyed this book. It's sad but true how relevant it is to the times that we live in. There were parts in the book that reminded me of my childhood; the candy lady, playing hopscotch, etc... Of course I live in a small town, so the neighborhood violence wasn't something I am used to, not to say things didn't happen, but not to the extent that I had to be afraid for my life.

One of the things that I think is universal for all people of color is the lessons that Maverick was teaching the ...more

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Sep 11, 2018 Roz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit, black, 2010-2019

Starr and her childhood best friend Khalil were driving home from a party when they were stopped by a cop for a broken taillight. Khalil ended up dead at the cop's hand. Neither teen was armed. Suddenly Starr is dealing not only with her grief at losing her friend, but also the guilt and fear that comes with dealing the police and being the only witness to yet another hashtag murder. She doesn't want to be the center of the media furor that comes with cases like this, but she wants justice for h Starr and her childhood best friend Khalil were driving home from a party when they were stopped by a cop for a broken taillight. Khalil ended up dead at the cop's hand. Neither teen was armed. Suddenly Starr is dealing not only with her grief at losing her friend, but also the guilt and fear that comes with dealing the police and being the only witness to yet another hashtag murder. She doesn't want to be the center of the media furor that comes with cases like this, but she wants justice for her friend. Figuring out the right course of action has enormous consequences - not just for Khalil's memory, but for the safety of her family as they receive threats from the police and from the local drug lord who has some nebulous connection to Khalil.

Starr's story is heart-wrenching. It's never easy to lose a friend. But she also had to witness it happen and know that in all likelihood, there won't be any legal retribution against the cop who killed him. Working through her emotions - her fear of cops and what they could do to her, her guilt over the fact that she and Khalil hadn't spoken for months before his death, her simultaneous desire that people know what happened that night and that she not be associated with it at all, the feeling that she can't talk to anyone at her majority white prep school about what's going on - is a difficult, contradictory, and circuitous process. Starr's emotional journey in the book felt extremely real and relevant.

One of the ways this emotional journey really touched me was through the use of language. Starr is hyper-conscious of her use of language, of what she says where and in front of whom. She has a part to play both in her neighborhood and in her school and never the twain shall meet. But in the process of working her grief - which is often messy and nonsensical especially to her school friends who don't even know she knew Khalil - she becomes more willing to show her true self in all spaces. She never wanted to be labeled as "ghetto" at school, but sometimes, that's what she is. That's where she's from. That's how she talks. And seeing her get to a place where she can feel comfortable being Starr in all her complexities to her friends and boyfriend was so beautiful. Realizing that she doesn't need to hide aspects of herself, that respectability politics rarely actually works and she shouldn't force herself to play by someone else's rules, was powerful and moving. ...more

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Apr 05, 2018 Nell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: gr-read, awards-finalists, lfpc, okra, z2018

On a scale of one to five, this book is a ten!
This book has drawn me in with a story that's captivating. It's classified as a Young Adult novel (I can't remember reading this genre since I was a young adult). The writing is excellent, the story is spellbinding, the subject is vitally important and the perspective is one that never gets heard. This book is outstanding!!! ...more

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