The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

5 out of 5 starrs (haha get it)

Summary: This book follows Starr, a teenage girl who lives in a poor black neighborhood and attends a mostly white prep school. She decides to go out with her friend one night to a party and reconnects with her childhood best friend, Khalil. After there is a problem at the party Khalil tries to take starr home. On their way to Starr’s house they get pulled over by a police officer. She witnesses the unjustly shooting of Khalil at the hands of a police officer and has to face the repercussions of that night over and over again craving for justice.

Opinions: Okay. I really loved this book. I read this book a few weeks ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy in some areas. But this book has been out for a few years and I was always nervous to pick it up because of all the hype surrounding it. I was afraid I would not like it. I am so happy I finally picked this book up. From the first page I was immersed into Starr’s life. I met and fell in love with her family, her friends, and the unity that is apparent in this book. I cried, laughed, and gasped at so many scenes because of how attached I was to these characters. 

While I absolutely adored this book there was one thing that bothered me. It wasn’t fully brought to my attention until I was on GoodReads seeing what everyone else thought of the book. I didn't really love how Starr was racist to Chris at some points. Of course she is justified in her behavior and she went through a lot so she is allowed to lash out. One scene in particular bothered me:

“You can’t even tell me what’s going on!”

“You’re white, okay?” I yell. “You’re white!”

Silence.

“I’m white?” he says, like he’s just hearing that for the first time. “What the f***’s that got to do with anything?

I do not like that Starr is fighting for the end of racism but refuses to tell her boyfriend something because of the color of his skin. Of course, white people should not complain because we do not understand to what depth people of color go through on a daily basis I just think it was hypocritical of Starr to respond this way to her white boyfriend who is only trying to help her.

That was my only problem with this book. But besides that I loved Starr. It took her awhile to come out of her shell but once she did, I couldn’t help but cry because I was so proud of her. She developed so much with each page and she really grew into herself by the end of the book. 

I loved how close her and her dad were during this whole novel. Their relationship made me cry at some points and laugh at others. I couldn’t help but love his protectiveness and loyalty to his whole family.

Anyways I really did love this book and I recommend it to literally everyone because even though this book came out a longggg time ago the issues faced in this book are still relevant in today's society. 

Let me know what you guys thought of the book in the comments below! Did you like it? How many stars would you give it?