The Hate U Give discussion

[Jenn]

I keep seeing this book all over my feed, and I thought it looked interesting.

Please post your discussions here.

[Michelle]

I'm interested in it, too. I've seen a lot of rave reviews. It's put on hold, but I can probably get it in time.

[Wendopolis]

So I brought the book home from the library and my 19yr old daughter started it. She said it was good, but she wasn't sure I should read it. She wasn't sure I'd be able to understand the slang. :/

[Wendopolis]

I'm pretty sure I'll understand it just fine.

[Jenn]

I got it from the library a few weeks ago and read the first few pages. I think we'll understand the slang fine, lol.

[Miguel]

I'm sorry but I don't believe I'll be able to read this one this week. library has them all checked out and money is tight for me to buy it.

[Julie]

I just picked up my copy today... fingers crossed I get it done by the end of the month

[Michelle]

I finished it about a week ago. I actually had to sort of speed read through it because it was due back to the library and I couldn't renew it. I've had a while to think about what I think about it, and my initial thoughts after finishing it hasn't changed much.

* possible spoilers *

(view spoiler)[ [warning: really long post] Okay, I rate this 3.5/5 stars, which I'm sure to some people it may seem like an affront, but I'm striving to be completely honest.

I think this book is incredibly relevant right now, especially with the seemingly non-existent progress of the fight for racial equality over the last few years. Police brutality is a problem in this country, as is systemic racism. I'll admit that I have not read or researched much into the Black Lives Matter movement, but I support their general message and what they're trying to accomplish, which, from what I understand, are an end to police brutality & racism and attaining racial equality. I think this book is a great example of using one's voice to bring about change or spark awareness.

I really do like the general theme of the book. I love that it focuses not just on the trial but also on Starr's personal life, including family drama, friendships, and the consciousness of the racial differences between herself and others in her community. The bonds between her family, though shaky at times, really demonstrate their loyalty and trust in one another as well as the tenacity of the black community.

However, I do have a problem with the writing and structure of the story itself. The overall execution of it could have been a lot better, in my opinion. I've debated on whether or not this actually matters when the book deals with such a difficult and complex subject, but I'm not one to consider a book based solely on the message of the book unless the message is stellar. The thing is, if the writing and the structure were different, it might have made more of an emotional impact on me.

The murder of Khalil, while cruel, didn't affect me as much as I was hoping it would, mainly because I had no connection to him whatsoever. He was briefly introduced and then was gone. Am I cold-hearted? I don't know. At any rate, I do learn more about him over the course of the story than I do about the black youths who are actually being killed in the streets today. The thing is, though, I get a little less angry and outraged every time a new face pops up on the screen who's a victim of a fatal police shooting. Why? Because it happens so damn often it slowly slips into the norm, which is abominable, and I hate that. I hate how just because they're the police, they get some leniency, even when there's proof that the victim presented no harm whatsoever.

Point being, Khalil's death was undeserved and outrageous, but I really wish there had been some development to his character before he was murdered. Maybe that was the intention? Because we don't know much about the victims in real life, either... But I do feel the injustice of it all, and I understand that that was what the book was striving for -- no matter how unfamiliar you are with a person, no one deserves to die when they have done absolutely nothing wrong.

The best thing about this novel for me was Starr's growing awareness of how race continually comes into play in her everyday life. It's especially apparent in the disparity between Garden Heights and Williamson. Reading from her perspective allowed me to empathize with those in a position similar to hers who are in constant fear because their lives are perpetually in danger. It allowed for a greater insight into how the consequences of a government that have tried (and are trying) to repress a group of people inevitably cause deeply-rooted problems that will take years to fix or overcome.

It seems that the event of Khalil's death inconsistently affects Starr. Sometimes she's really shaken up about it, but at other times it seems like it never happened. However, I can't really fault this in any way because I have not been in any situation close to what she had suffered through. I imagine, for myself personally, that I would have been a lot more traumatized had I witnessed an actual murder and realized that I could have died just as easily especially when a gun is pointed directly at me.

At times the story really feels ... jumbled, like it's not sure what to focus on. It jumps from family issues to Khalil's trial, or so it seems, without a way to seamlessly conflate the two. It felt like two different stories with pieces cut up and organized into chronological order.

On Khalil's trial... I actually wished there was more to it than just a brief mention of it every now and then, and then Starr getting called in to testify and provide a statement. I know the process probably isn't much more complicated than that, but I felt like I was missing a lot of the details.

I honestly think that if the writing was more developed, the story would have been more effective for me. Unfortunately, the writing kind of told me how to feel instead of letting me do it myself a lot of the times.

One more note: when I first heard about this novel, I heard it in connection to the BLM movement, that this sprang out of it. I was interested, but I also felt kind of weird about it because BLM still felt relatively new but here's already a book that's inspired by it. I remembered wondering whether the movement had really developed enough to the point where it'll inspire literature, film, etc. Apparently it has.

I can't say I love the novel tremendously (it actually feels long to me), but I do support its message, and I do think it's important that we have authors writing about issues that are important. It's a great read, too, if you want to understand more about what other people who aren't as privileged go through and how they get through it. I absolutely understand why this novel is loved. (hide spoiler)]

[Julie]

I’m about 30% done with the book and can already tell this book is going have me feeling all sorts of feelings. It’s addictive I don’t want to put it down!!

[Jenn]

I have 50 pages to go. It's engrossing, isn't it? Can't wait to see what you all think.

[Jenn]

4.5 / 5

I love this book. Like Michelle, I take issue with some of author Angie Thomas' decisions. But overall I found the story engrossing, accurate, and... timely? Relevant? The issues discussed in The Hate U Give have been relevant for decades, though. For centuries. It's a good time for authors such as Angie Thomas, whose passion is civil rights, to strike, mainly because the masses are listening now and publishers are therefore inclined to give voice to civil rights writers.

My biggest complaint about the book is how easily the two rival gangs united. I know that Starr's dad had been working with them off-narrative, but their truce seemed to come out of nowhere to me. I would have liked to see their alliance develop.

Things I love:

1. How Starr deals with Hailey

2. How Starr inspires her community to break their own silence and "rat out" King

3. "Besties before testes"

4. When the mom and dad pray-argue over whether Black Jesus should let the grandma come live with them

5. Starr's voice; her dialect. I love dialogue when it's written well, and Thomas is a master at writing dialogue. And she chose first person POV, which means I get to enjoy Thomas' dialogue skills from word one on.

6. The dad's gradual acceptance of Chris

7. Fo'ty Ounce

8. The closeness of Starr's community

9. THUG

10. The white cop's statement that he wanted to work in Garden Heights to make a difference. This statement is positioned within a few pages of the the black cop, Uncle Carlos, stating that he wanted to work in Garden Heights because he loves the people there. And what those two answers mean.

11. Angie Thomas' careful construction of argument through story. A lot of people don't understand what Black Lives Matters is, let alone what its goals are. Michelle and many people I know get it. But I also know people who think BLM is a black supremacist group. They think the name Black Lives Matters means ONLY Black Lives Matter. The Hate U Give attempts to spell out for these people that there is no "only" in Black Lives Matter; there's just a three-word statement whose truth ought to be obvious to everyone, but, as always, isn't.

[Wendopolis]

5/5

I found this book to be realistic and relevant, and an important book for everyone to read. I learned a lot from it, and I know anyone who reads it will as well. It was a perspective that being white I don't totally get, and some things in the book were disturbing, such as Starr's sudden realization of Chris's whiteness and how she wondered if she could still be with him because of it.

It's a sad book. When the cop was exonerated, I really wished for a different outcome, like how it should have been, how everyone wants this kind of thing to be. Instead, it was the same old, same old--cop is cleared of wrong doing. There's enough of that in real life. It would have been a more satisfying read had the cop gotten what he deserved, but I understand what the author was driving at.

overall, a decent book, if heavy. It took me a long time to finish.

[Michelle]

"But I also know people who think BLM is a black supremacist group. They think the name Black Lives Matters means ONLY Black Lives Matter. The Hate U Give attempts to spell out for these people that there is no "only" in Black Lives Matter; there's just a three-word statement whose truth ought to be obvious to everyone, but, as always, isn't."

I agree with this statement a lot. After looking at it from both sides (referring to the "All Lives Matter" response that I can understand but don't agree with), I really don't see how BLM is black supremacy or trying to be. There are outliers, sure, but it's a movement in response to a cancerous problem in this country. It's a response to the injustice and the racism. The "All Lives Matter" response... it really tries to silence the BLM movement, doesn't it? It's hard for any one diverse group to speak up; they certainly don't need some anti group that tries to belittle their beliefs and dismiss their battles for change. It's sad that they have to say that black lives matter, too, as if they didn't before. Unfortunately, I don't think we're at a place where everyone's lives are weighted equally.

[Jenn]

The "All Lives Matter" response... it really tries to silence the BLM movement, doesn't it?

Absolutely. It's like when people responded to the "Me Too" movement with, "Well, men get sexually harassed too." Yeah, they do, but far less frequently than women do. And why are they saying that anyway? If women weren't trying to speak out against sexual harassment, would these dissenters be marching to stop sexual harassment against men? No, they wouldn't. Which leads me to conclude that the only reason they're mentioning it is to shut up women who are finally, freaking finally, speaking out.

All Lives Matter. Yes, all lives matter. But to see our government and society in action, you'd think only white lives mattered. Particularly white men's. "All Lives Matter" would be a fantastic slogan if the ones chanting it actually believed it. They don't, though. Which is why it needs to be supplemented with Black Lives Matter.

[Julie]

This book was a tough one... there are so many arguments for each side of this. I could never be a police officer and have to make a split second decision like that. Did he have to shoot to kill no probably not but what if he felt his life was in danger? But I also get that the poorer communities face prejudice like this all the time it’s hard not to take it personal or think the way they do. All I can say for sure is this book was an eye opener... I definitely enjoyed it and will be recommending to friends in the future