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Does this book teach something new or is it worth reading? I'm hoping it doesn't capitalize on social/political/racial issues just for attention. I want something outside of the expected canon without being preachy.
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The Hate U Give,
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K Jay
It is not preachy at all. But then again it is a topic that can stand to be preached about since lots of people seem to miss the point, and are not empathetic AT ALL.
This is a wonderfully told story, with lots of different perspectives. Thought provoking. It does not capitalize on the social/political/racial issues. Although, all 3 need attention, because we STILL deal with these issues everyday.
This is a wonderfully told story, with lots of different perspectives. Thought provoking. It does not capitalize on the social/political/racial issues. Although, all 3 need attention, because we STILL deal with these issues everyday.
Jennifer Garcia
The fact that you asked question means that you need to read this book. It gives perspective in an all inclusive way. Also go to Netflix and watch 13 please............
Mike
The question: "Does this book teach something new," do you ask that question of every book you pick up? "I want something outside of the expected," isn't that always the hope? Why does subject matter that deals with race, police shootings, poverty, etc., have to answer to telling a story "for attention?" Do you wonder if every author has an agenda?
Jen
Wow. As someone else said, "The fact that you asked question means that you need to read this book."
Paige
God forbid racial injustice gets some "attention"
Deborah Biancotti
I'm learning a lot from this book, but I wouldn't say the goal of the book is to 'teach'. OR 'preach'. This book bears witness. This is a book about humanity. If that's not part of the 'expected canon' yet, well, it probably should be! (Edited to add: you should read it & make up your own mind.)
Aimee
I don't think it's preachy at all, it just paints a realistic picture of people's lives without telling the reader what they should think about it. All the characters are incredibly nuanced; even the police officer who shot Khalil is portrayed as a human being with a family, so it's clearly not intended to persuade people to side with one set of characters over another.
V Dixon
One day, the good inhabitants of this world, especially the USA because this is where I reside and where so much racial ugliness is at the heart of this nation. Yes, you need to read "The Hate U Give" and should you find it "preachy" remember how hard it must be to lose your child to senseless avoidable acts by those who took an oath to protect and serve. As you read this book, think about the pain that will always be a part of Star's life. Think about Khalil. Living with all the injustices being Black can bring upon a person in this life, this book made me smile because the majority of Black people in America knows a Khalil, a Star and definitely understand the rage of knowing an officer will not be held accountable for killing a black person be they Man, Woman or child even if they violated the law while committing the acts. And when you are done reading this book, Alice Walker should be whispering in your ear, "Black People are Natural, they possess the spirit of joy," despite the harshness of this world they can still find a little happiness in this world and that is a legacy that has come from centuries of being enslaved.
Pamela
I’m sorry but you must be super privileged and you have to be white to ask such a daft question. You think that people of color want to be treated differently? I would love to not be treated, talked to and made assumptions about because I’m a woman of color! We complain because we are sick of it. It would be nice to live in a world like you where you are the norm, you never stick out and people can assume the best things of you because of your white race. I don’t know anyone “capitalizing“ on real issues. We are just sick of it and luckily after this election a lot of you can now believe us because you see social media, videos and pictures but for years you’ve all believed that black people live in an equal world with equal acess to ALL things since “slavery and racism have been long over”. You sound very not woke. It’s 2018 girl! Get a book and clearly make friends of color.
Lucy
It absolutely teaches something new. I'm a white ally and I try to keep myself educated and informed about justice issues, including Black Lives Matter, and this book deeply touched me in a way few others have. I just read Michael Eric Dyson's Tears We Cannot Stop, and it was okay, and it was a good reminder, but ultimately didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Reading this book made me realize that even though I knew how bad things are, I hadn't necessarily *felt* it. This book made me really, really feel it.
Nuala
We just read it in my seventh grade class as a group read, we all enjoyed it very much, the characters are well developed, the plot is incredible, and the overall story is very eye opening and at times super frustrating. I absolutely loved this book, it is most definitely on my must read list.
A. J.
I guess there is such a thing as a stupid question.
Jennifer
I'd say it is worth reading. It definitely taught me some new things, the very least of which is the level of anger in the black community. In this book, I saw the roots, I saw it play out. I found it enlightening - and I got very frustrated that our world is still this way!
Naomi
It is always worth reading marginalized voices that aren't usually heard.
Jude
Yes, it's definitely worth reading. It let me enter a world I didn't know much about and it gives a balanced view of the issues. It wasn't preachy--it was extremely entertaining but also enlightening. I'd recommend it to everybody.
Beth
Absolutely worth the read. Not preachy. Gives a very realistic picture. Does not bash all cops as a group but the fact that these things continue to happen. Black youth and adults are automatically seen as dangerous , threatening, thugs and therefore their lives don't matter as much. AN important read!
lucky little cat
This is your book, and I say that as a 30-year veteran English teacher.
Anna
I'm still at the very beginning, but it doesn't feel preachy at all; it feels honest. I also think that these issues deserve attention, and especially seeing as it's written by a Black woman, it's hard for me to see how it could "capitalize" on such a real experience in any other way besides a genuine one.
michelle
If you don't want to be "bothered" reading about race issues from a black perspective, by all means keep your blinders on. Just don't pretend that you can intelligently discuss the subject matter. By the way, if race issues are "preachy" then I fully expect you to be one of those people whose naive beliefs are challenged by a different perspective and makes you feel uncomfortable. You should really read White fragility. It is written by a white sociologist and is a New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. Sounds perfect for you
G.L. Davies
My experience of the book is that the story itself is little more than an excuse to preach the standard sjw narrative about race. I wasn't impressed and if you ask me, yes, it is capitalising and making very little attempt at disguising it. It does push the idea that white people simply can't help being racist, as it is their inherent nature, along with microaggressions and various other crimes the white characters can't help committing, while any racism towards themselves is implied to be acceptable. The contradictory nature of a book supposedly educating on and denouncing racism, right before adding a loophole made it very difficult for me to take seriously.
Mary
If you are open-minded, it's not preachy at all. Good book, good topic, good story. I recommend the Audible version. Excellent performance by Bahni Turpin.
Colleen
This is more like an immersive experience than a lesson. The book tells the story from the perspective of someone who lives it, which is really interesting, considering the fact that we all usually form our perspectives from news headlines and sound bytes.
kristin
All white people in the U.S. should read this book. The first-person narrator is a 16-year-old who splits her time between a working-class black community and a mostly-white private school, and readers see how she processes (emotionally and intellectually) what she experiences. This book does not capitalize on issues for attention. It is a compelling story that can educate people who don't understand why we need Black Lives Matter.
Kelly
Hey Becky. Sometimes when something is SERIOUSLY MESSED UP - such as the fact that Driving (or going on a 7-11 run, or playing at the park) While Black can endanger your life in this country - it needs attention.
If it takes an amazing book to bring that to discussion - with more empathy and brains than the latest hashtag to make fun of some idiot - then great.
If it takes an amazing book to bring that to discussion - with more empathy and brains than the latest hashtag to make fun of some idiot - then great.
Monica
It is not preachy. It's definitely worth reading. Just empathizing with one or more of the characters makes it worth reading. Are there in depth, scholarly, embedded articles about the social issues covered in this book? No. Will you be inspired to seek out such information on your own? I think so. I think you should give it a chance.
Suzan
I personally believe that all adults and any child capable of reading and understanding the topic (yes, middle schoolers included) should read this book.
Mahreen
This book is not at all preachy. This book doesn't discuss these issues because it wants attention, but because it deserves attention.
Elizabeth
I'd recommend Te Nehisi Coates' "Between the World and Me" over this one.
JASMINE CORREA GARCIA
It's a YA novel so it's not so complex from a literary standpoint, but the characters are very engaging and there's a lot to think about, in a good way. Angie Thomas has a fresh voice, and this is worth your time.
Mary
It is worth reading. It's a YA novel so it's not so complex from a literary standpoint, but the characters are very engaging and there's a lot to think about, in a good way. Angie Thomas has a fresh voice, and this is worth your time.
Nancy
What happens to the young people in this story is not new. It confirms what most of our black students have to face every day, ever since the integration of Little Rock Central HS in 1957. It is told in a balanced, realistic way. Starr could be a student in any teacher's classroom, and any teacher would be blessed to have such a student in his/her classroom. No exaggeration or "attention getting" aspects in this superbly composed book. Nor is it "preachy." The characters and what happens to them is just "fuh real," as is what happened to Khalil. I wish every middle school and high school student - especially white students - COULD BE REQUIRED to read this, to see a very accurate portrayal of how 12%-15% (based on 2010 census) of the US population is forced to live due to the racism so prevalent in the US. Of course, here in the "gret stet of Tixas," that would never happen. More's the tragedy of that political state of mind. Angie, keep on writing! We need to keep hearing your voice!
Judie
Just curious...did you read it after reviewing responses? If so, what did you think?
..
You obviously don't know what happens to black people every other day in the streets. This book was written not just for the black lives matter movement, but for readers (and movie watchers) of all ages to know why this is important.
Ryn
Many people have already said this, and still, I say it too, the fact that you asked that question means you gotta read it to find out. Only you can give yourself a fresh perspective.
Someone365
Its Not Out for The Attention and not preachy At All. Yes it does Show that Point on Social/political & racial issues but while we sit down reading or texting or anything People Are out there Trying To show Us what is happening. Angie Thomas is someone that understands What They went through. She shows US (as a whole) That life Is Different for Evreyone.
Wayne Sutton
Why is it that people get uncomfortable around "preachieness"? Yes it can suck sometimes, but you should just listen or read in this case. It's a book that discusses many topics from a specific point of view that MOST white people will NEVER understand. It's very eye opening and very relevant to urban youth- poor, white, rich, black, etc.
Barbara
Yes, very worth it this book has changed the lives of many and it will continue to
Silvia
It is sooo worth reading, it is an amazing book!
Cha Min
I can accept your intention a little bit, but I don't agree your opinion. This book is literature about race discrimination, so a writer can not send us simple knowledge. If you want to learn something from book, you must not read literature like this. You should read no-literature. This book is already used in a lot of schools around the world, so I think this is so worthy. Although this book may not give us knowledge, this book give us something important. I want you find something important in this book.
Malasia West
i just started this book an i am not that far. but so far the book is getting good and there is a movie coming out next month and i am trying to read all of the book before the movie actually come out so i can compare the two.
mrskhodak
I wouldn't say it 'teaches' anything. Its just a persons account of the hardships faced. If one wants to learn from a different perspective than ones own, then yes. I believe it teaches of a life many are faced with.
Jacquie
Did you end up teaching this? I would like to use it in a YA Lit. course.
Susan Phillips
I guess if you are a Black teenager growing up in a city in the US, no, it probably doesn't teach anything new.
Christie Dunne-Murphy
The vast majority of people answering this question seem to be suffering from some kind of brainwashing or bias so great as to severely impair their judgement.
The book begins with a party, drug use, sex and violence are immediately introduced in graph and explicit language.
It then goes on to show a young black man being non-compliant with a cop in a dangerous area after they just left a party where a teenager was shot. The aforementioned young man is involved in drugs and is repeatedly rude and non-compliant with the cop. It's only then that the cop escalates the situation.
The young man, after being ordered out of the car, and told not to move, and to keep his hands on his head, then ignores the cop and moves to reach into the car. A common way cops get killed is by people reaching into their cars for a concealed weapon. In response, the cop shoots him.
The rest of the book is then a treatise on how unjust this shooting was, and how all white people and the society of America is racist, finger to the bone. Somewhat difficult to comprehend when they have many of the highest black athletes and individuals in the world, three UFC champions of African birth and a former President who was born in Kenya and is a black man.
If you want to teach kids about drugs, gang crime and foul language, the book is appropriate content.
The book begins with a party, drug use, sex and violence are immediately introduced in graph and explicit language.
It then goes on to show a young black man being non-compliant with a cop in a dangerous area after they just left a party where a teenager was shot. The aforementioned young man is involved in drugs and is repeatedly rude and non-compliant with the cop. It's only then that the cop escalates the situation.
The young man, after being ordered out of the car, and told not to move, and to keep his hands on his head, then ignores the cop and moves to reach into the car. A common way cops get killed is by people reaching into their cars for a concealed weapon. In response, the cop shoots him.
The rest of the book is then a treatise on how unjust this shooting was, and how all white people and the society of America is racist, finger to the bone. Somewhat difficult to comprehend when they have many of the highest black athletes and individuals in the world, three UFC champions of African birth and a former President who was born in Kenya and is a black man.
If you want to teach kids about drugs, gang crime and foul language, the book is appropriate content.
Jason Kinney
Yes it suit perfect but there is a bit of racism by a white cop Killing a innocent black child
Gayle
I think this is a fair question and that the book is most certainly preachy. But that doesn't mean it's bad or not worthwhile.
Andrea Baker
It teaches things but it is also funny, enduring and captivating. It's a great story with a great plot.
Billie Taylor
Definitely worth reading! It mentions a lot of racial issues but it isn't preachy at all.
Stephanie
1. yes
2. yes
3. no
4. yes
2. yes
3. no
4. yes
Susan
I found it didactic, rather than preachy. Everyone I know loved it, but I thought it got overly long and was boring at times. Read "So You Want To Talk About Race" by Ijeoma Oluo instead.
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