Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Author: Angie Thomas

Published: Febrary 28th, 2017
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Number of Pages: 464
Format: eBook

Source: Bought

Purchase: Amazon, The Book Depository

From Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

 

My Review

I started this book by merely knowing the plot, without knowing that I would be reading something narrated by a black girl.. and without realizing that, DAMN, is it really the first time that I read a book with a black protagonist? YES! And immediately, this thought alone made me think, a LOT.

Just this one characteristic of the book is unique, because the language, the lyrics quoted, basically the cultural identity that define Starr gave me an insight into another world. It was beautiful to see from a black perspective how the black community lives the relationship with the white one, how they digest their racism, how they try to mingle.. like Starr, who to do so, separated herself into two different versions: one of Garden Heights, and another for her classy, white high school.

After reading a couple of books that did not allow me to grow fond of the characters, I was really glad to see that the author manages to create an affectionate relationship between the reader and the protagonists, even the secondary ones; I believe this is thanks to the massive presence of dialogues among all the characters of the book - from the very central Starr to the very least Mr.Lewis (the local barber) - which made me feel like a was a part of this neighborhood.

I found particularly interesting the character of Maverick, Starr's father, and about him especially his pride in being part of the black community. His words conveyed such strength that I stopped reading now and then to search for information about the Black Panther Party, their 10 points program, the whole history of the black community's war against racism.

I did not give this book 5 star(RS) because there was something that did not convince me in the end, and that is that Starr is such a young narrator! I felt like her young age came out a lot during the narration, and not only in her informal way of speaking! This is not at all a critique to the author's choice because I'm sure that a lot of you will enjoy the authenticity of her voice, but personally, I like best a more mature narrator.

To finish, I believe this book is a special work, that conveys a really important message and that should be read by all teens in order to understand not only the harsh reality of an unjust world, but also how we can unite in order to let our courage prevail.

Rated 4.0