From the Bookshelf of 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge…

The Hate You Give

Angie Thomas

Start date: November 1, 2024

Finish date: November 30, 2024

Discussion: November 2025 Group Read

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of -14 topics — 178 comments total

November 2025 Group Read

The Travelling Cat Chronicles: Pre-Reading Discussion
By Winter , Group Reads · 5 posts · 27 views

last updated 55 minutes ago

The Travelling Cat Chronicles: Reviews by 2025 Reading Challengers
By Winter , Group Reads · 1 post · 16 views

last updated Oct 20, 2025 05:58AM

showing 10 of 14 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Nov 15, 2017 Michael rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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.
...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2018 Eileen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, contemporary, teen-young-adult, favorites, 2018, race, social-justice

This was such an important book to read, and I highly recommend the audiobook. I found myself experiencing the whole gamut of emotions including tears/heartbreak, laughter, strength, frustration, and empathy. I believe this is a book that all teens should read, but I also believe that many adults could benefit from reading this book.

3 likes · Like · see review

May 29, 2023 Sabrina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, coming-of-age, first-in-series, young-adult, realistic-fiction, contemporary-fiction, social-commentary, racism, civil-rights, racial-politics

Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give is a must read. Thomas' debut novel gives us a thoughtful look into the systemic racism that plagues our criminal justice system when Starr, the main character, witnesses the murder of her friend Kahlil during what should have been a simple police stop. We follow the aftermath of this terrible incident as Starr struggles to come to term with not just Khalil's death but her own identity as she negotiates two worlds: one of the neighborhood that she lives in that is h ...more

Like · see review

Jan 18, 2025 Lulu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2025, young-adult, general-mainstream

I am probably the last person of the planet to finally get around to reading this, so getting into all the reasons it’s a great, great book isn’t worth anyone’s time. But it is great: I LOVE Starr’s voice, I love how messy and raw parts felt, I love how much Starr and everyone around her authentically felt like teenagers, I loved the family dynamics, I love how well the societal dynamics were drawn, and I love how good Thomas is at making me feel things.

Not to sound like an old crank, but there’ ...more

Like · see review

Sep 26, 2018 Melissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: our-shared-shelf

I love love love that this book was written with the young adult perspective. The message that we all have a voice and that we need to use it for good is such an incredible message for young people.

I also loved this family. The Carter family was so incredibly real and their conversations and interactions truly made this story moving. Each character was so diverse and so interesting that I was sad to end the novel.

I’m looking forward to Thomas’ next story because she has proven to be an excelle ...more

Like · see review