A Goodreads user
A Goodreads user asked:

I was not a fan of the hate u give because I felt it was kind of racist towards white people and the vocabulary was a bit difficult for me since my first language is not english (for example, saying 'thang' instead of 'thing'). Besides that, I thought Starr was a bit childish at times. Do you think I would enjoy this book?

To answer questions about On the Come Up, please sign up.
a. racism towards white people literally cannot exist. and i don't remember any bit from THUG where starr was unfair towards white people, if that's what you're talking about:)
Jasmine "Racism towards white people" does not exist. White people have never been oppressed for the color of their skin and when they were oppressed it was by other white people. If you think "racism towards white people" is a thing, i believe you missed the entire point of the book.
Theo i think that.. if you thought thug was "racist towards white people".. maybe another book by the same author about black people maybe might not be the best read for you... but on that train of thought, as a white person, racism against "white people" as a whole does not exist. there are have been marginalized groups of people who were white throughout history but never have white people been oppressed or targeted for Being White. if you're referencing the part where starr stood up to hailey (a toxic friend who didn't care about starr's emotions and was repeatedly racist in her actions) then i suggest maybe you re-evaluate what you know about racism and attempt to educate yourself on a subject that from your comment it doesn't seem like you know much about. idk, maybe i'm mistaken, but from a point of view where i am given no context to your upbringing, your comment sounds fairly ignorant.
Elisia Yeah, if you think like that, don't read any book about black struggles or by black authors until you can change your mindset lol
Angelica Bruh how is it racist to white people? She is a teen of course she is childish sometimes. BUT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RACIST TO WHITE PEOPLE!!! Chose another book that is not written by a black author or read a book about black struggles, please :)
Renny Humes This book uses a lot of "American slang" so you probably shouldn't read it. No offense but the whole point of the book was showing the racism TOWARDS BLACK PEOPLE.
eun Racism does not exist towards white people. Racism is an indoctrinated system and belief. White people (throughout history and even now) have always systematically been the OPPRESSORS, therefore, you can not systemically oppress them. Yes, white people can face prejudice, but they can't face racism.

Let me ask you this: Has a white person been killed by the police for their SKIN COLOR?

Has a white person ever been denied healthcare for their race?

Please think critically before you go and yap around saying foolish things.
Solomon Tsai This comment may be unpopular but my right to freedom of speech lets me express my thoughts in a respectful way.
OP, I understand how you feel. i also feel that if we were to shed light on racism towards black people and how that is wrong, why be racist to another race (white people) through stereotypes? this not just undermines the message, i also feel that it's quite unnecessary. of course, i can't change the "an eye for an eye" mentality because black people have been oppressed in the USA for hundreds of years. They are the biggest victims of racism in USA. They faced being enslaved, being segregated, and the legacy of these oppressive policies, laws still exists today.
for those who believe that "racism towards white people doesn't exist", I hope that you're talking about that in the American context. But we have the capacity to recognize that there was racism directed towards white people. In north africa, white people were enslaved. White people are targets of countryside shootings in South Africa. I am not justifying racism coming from white people, but I would not take such an extreme stance of "racism against white people does not exist". I think that, in this world, racism is directed towards many, if not all races.
Many people say "two wrongs don't make a right". It's time to recognize everyone's struggles and love everyone.
mysticofworlds Probably unpopular opinion but I do think individualized racism against white people can exist (ex. if someone says "all white people are evil and inferior to (x other race)). Institutionalized racism like what's present in the education, healthcare, and prison systems (and many more)... no. I don't see how that exists at all against white people in the US.

I subscribe to the definition of individualized racism that is prejudice / discrimination against someone based on their race, particularly towards but not limited to minorities, not the idea that any racist statement / belief has to come only from privileged groups / cannot come from marginalized groups. I understand that some people believe that only privileged groups can be racist; that is your opinion, not a fact. I will respect it, but I personally will respectfully disagree.

That being said, I don't really see racism in THUG at all. And childish... well, no person is perfect. In fact, Mary Sues are quite annoying. Take into account all that Starr has to deal with especially and, really, it's admirable how she isn't that self-pitying or whiny.
Samatha Szichak I totally disagree with you because I don't think that it was racist against white people there was no hatred for them at all. And the vocabulary was supposed to be off because that's how the characters talk in the book. This book was trying to shine a light on police brutality and black struggles and what you got out of the whole book is that it's racist against whites. I think you need to read the book again. And I recommend you find another book that helps you differentiate white racism from white privilege. Because white privilege doesn't exist so I recommend you do your research before you start typing next time.
Lucy Ok, well first-off, she's a literal teen, so childishness is pretty normal, but also how exactly is it "racist towards white people"? I can understand the language thing, but I'm just confused...
Tara Wilkinson Probably not. If you didn’t like THUG, I’d recommend finding another book by a different author.
Breonna If you think that book was racist towards white people then you don't really understand what racism is...so no, you wouldn't like this book
Huda I have read this book I loved it and I read the Hate u Give And I loved it there both very passionate stories with good backgrounds, if you couldn’t handle the Hate U Give then don’t read this book or any book that means you will have to face reality because racism is a thing in our world unfortunately and these things happen and there real and I can tell you as a colored person they happen way to offend, and if you can’t handle that and reading about that then you should pick a different book
Sophie Williams Are you trolling
《 sophie •°○☆ 》 "racist towards white people"? girl i'm white and i can tell you that there is no such thing. i read THUG. no "racism towards white people"
Mirtha Gabriela Duarte Román this review was not helpful but maybe i will... please watch the documentary 13th if you think like this. You can't be racist thowards the creators of modern racism or racism, period. And for the language aspect, that's called AAVE, or african american vernacular english.
Sunny Wu you cannot be racist to white ppl-
Jimmiea King this was the weirdest question i've seen to be honest
Anna Yeah, I think if you didn't like that book you won't like this one too much because it is also about the oppression black people face. But you should still try it out because I think it is a great book.
Image for On the Come Up
by Angie Thomas (Goodreads Author)
Rate this book
Clear rating

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more