Review: The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give – Angie Thomas

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.

Review: There was a slang word in this book that I didn’t know. It made me feel old. I shook my fist at the book and yelled, “Dang you, kids! Stop saying made-up words. And get off my lawn!”

Also, sneakers are supposed to be cleaned? Apparently, they are. There are sneaker-cleaning kits. I did not know this. I just scrape the mud off mine with a stick.

Okay, you guys have heard about The Hate U Give, right? The publisher paid an obscene amount of money for this book. There was a massive amount of hype surrounding its release. As soon as I read the synopsis, it shot to the top of my “most-anticipated releases” list. After spending months sitting on the world’s longest waiting list, I finally got a chance to read it, and . . .

It was really good. Not perfect, but really good.

The narrator, Starr Carter, is trapped between two extremes. She lives in a poor neighborhood that’s controlled by drug-dealing gang members, but she goes to school in an ultra-wealthy suburb. She doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere. One night, she’s on her way home from a party with her friend Khalil when a cop pulls them over. The cop kills Khalil. Starr suddenly finds herself in a world of police brutality, gang wars, judgment, and celebrity.

“I can't change where I come from or what I've been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?” – The Hate U Give

When I started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to relate to it. I’m a rural white girl. Where I grew up, there weren’t enough people to make a gang, and the only things that got shot were dangerous or delicious animals. Cities are alien to me. I don’t even like reading about them because I can’t understand why anyone would want to live in one. As I read The Hate U Give, I decided that the point isn’t to relate to the story. The point is to shut up and listen. So, that’s what I did.  

I think the author did a fairly amazing job of showing the good and the bad in all of her characters. They have complex emotions and motivations. Starr makes some questionable decisions, but she’s a believable teenager. I was rooting for her. Starr’s father is involved in the gang world, but he loves his children and will do anything to protect them. Khalil dies within the first few pages, but he’s also complicated. He’s a drug dealer, but he didn’t deserve to get shot. He was unarmed and didn’t have any drugs on him.

“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.” – The Hate U Give

This book is unusual in the YA world because it’s a story about family. Starr’s parents and siblings play a bigger role in her life than her friends. Most of the friends in this book are underdeveloped side characters. That’s different because it’s usually the other way around in YA. The friends are everything, and the parents are pushed to the side. I loved seeing parents who are involved in their kids’ lives. It’s refreshing. I hope this book starts a trend. I’d like to see more parent/child relationships in YA.

I wish the friend characters were more developed, though. A few of them seem to only exist to teach the reader lessons about racism. They’re important lessons, but I get annoyed when books try to teach me things. It pulls me out of the story.

“That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?” – The Hate U Give

My only other complaint about this book is the length. It’s over 400 pages, which is really long for a contemporary. To me, it felt long, especially in the middle. There’s some interesting family-dynamic stuff in the middle, but I still got bored waiting for something to happen.

So, what’s the verdict on my most-anticipated release of 2017? Is this my favorite book ever? No. Is it overhyped? Yes, slightly. Should everybody read it? Most definitely. It’s completely worth reading, especially if you’re a rural white girl like me. One of the reasons I read is to learn about the world. This book showed me a part of the world that I’m unfamiliar with. I think a lot of people are unfamiliar with the experiences of black teens in the inner city. So, go read The Hate U Give. You’ll learn something.

“Holy shit. Who the fuck complains about going to Harry Potter World? Or Butter Beer? Or wands?”  - The Hate U Give