The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give
By: Angie Thomas
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| If you've got a furry friend make sure you have them on hand for a few snuggles as you read this book. |
Book Quote:
THUG LIFE
T-H-U-G L-I-F-E
The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody
-Tupac
-Tupac
Book Talk:
Library Cat Rating: 😻 😻 😻 😻
Review:
Review:
The Hate U Give takes a close look at race relations in the United States. Readers follow the protagonist, sixteen year old Starr Carter, as she navigates the aftermath of witnessing one of her best friends being shot by a police officer. Starr watches as the justice system falls into the pattern of justifying the police officer's actions and criminalizing Kahlil using his race and background against him. As the sole witness to the shooting, Starr must determine if and how she wants to communicate Kahlil's side of the story. This is complicated by the fact that Starr leads two lives, one at her private school comprised mostly of white upper class kids and another in Garden City, which is also referred to as the 'Ghetto.' Thomas draws on experiences from her own life to create the two lives of Starr. The rhetoric that Starr hears at school and home are vastly different and as her two worlds begin to collide Starr is forced to make difficult decisions in her relationships with those closest to her, including her parents, friends (school and ghetto), as well as her white boyfriend.
At it's heart, this is a book that seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the prejudice that is present in our culture. Readers can get a sense of where the prejudices have evolved from and how it can be combated. Starr will take you on a journey of self discovery that will hopefully help many others find their voice and embark on their own journey to combat and expose racism.
I personally believe that this is a novel that will touch readers of all ages and race. As a white woman, there are elements of Starr's story that I cannot personally identify with in my own life, but that does not decrease the amount of empathy that I have for her story and in fact gave me a lot of useful context for the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a novel that can help anyone struggling to understand racial prejudice and inequality while at the same time hopefully inspire a new generation of social and political activists.
At it's heart, this is a book that seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the prejudice that is present in our culture. Readers can get a sense of where the prejudices have evolved from and how it can be combated. Starr will take you on a journey of self discovery that will hopefully help many others find their voice and embark on their own journey to combat and expose racism.
I personally believe that this is a novel that will touch readers of all ages and race. As a white woman, there are elements of Starr's story that I cannot personally identify with in my own life, but that does not decrease the amount of empathy that I have for her story and in fact gave me a lot of useful context for the Black Lives Matter movement. This is a novel that can help anyone struggling to understand racial prejudice and inequality while at the same time hopefully inspire a new generation of social and political activists.
Awards:
Boston Globe – Horn Book Award for Fiction (2017), National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Nominee (2017)
Citation:
Thomas, Angie. (2017) The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.
Annotation:
After being the only witness to a police shooting that resulted in the death of her best friend, Starr Carter must decide, if, how, and when, she will come forward to share Kahlil's story.
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Extras:
Information on the upcoming movie.
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