The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas | Review

The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas | Review

• Thursday, 12 April 2018

I had heard so many great reviews about this book but whenever I'd look up the blurb I was really doubtful I'd feel the same. However, because of all the great reviews I still had it sitting there on my TBR list and finally, one day when I got some extra pay I thought "screw it" and ordered the damn thing. Lucky I did because like everyone else I really enjoyed it!

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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.

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Now as I was doubtful I did go into it with quite a different mindset than other books and frankly I was reading the first few pages going "Oh he's gonna be shot", "No it's gonna be her", "Actually her" until the incident happened (FYI, not a spoiler, it's in the blurb). But once it finally happened I got drawn in on the suspense and thrill of it all, eager for the idiot white man to be brought to justice!

I really enjoyed the way the story was told, through the eyes of Starr because it really gets you involved and tangles your feelings in a knot. Some stories are told in a way where you feel like a fly on the wall but this one you're Starr, you feel everything she feels and yes I even cried. It's such an important topic and very much related to what's happening at the current time. It's so realistic even to the point of the family dynamics and everyday life which makes it incredibly believable so it was great to see a topic as important as this told in a way that teens would understand and take note of - and even do something about. It may be told in a fictional way but events like these do happen so telling the story in a real and relatable way is key.

If you haven't read this yet, pick it up and make it your next read because not only will you enjoy it, you'll probably learn something too!

"What's the point of having a voice is you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"