book review on the hate you give

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The hate u give, common sense media reviewers.

Powerful story of police shooting of unarmed Black teen.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Explains police brutality from the victims' perspe

Strong messages throughout The Hate U Give about c

Unlike many books aimed at young adults, this nove

We see several instances of violence and hear abou

There's talk of an affair between two adults. Teen

Conversational swearing by both adults and teens t

Name brands including Jordans, luxury automobiles,

Teens drink alcohol and smoke marijuana at a party

Educational Value

Explains police brutality from the victims' perspective and shows a broad view of protest strategies, justice, inequality, and the systemic failures that often accompany police shootings.

Positive Messages

Strong messages throughout The Hate U Give about community activism and togetherness, family strength, courage, bravery, and redemption.

Positive Role Models

Unlike many books aimed at young adults, this novel is full of positive kid and adult role models. The adults who reach out to mentor and advise the students not only provide guidance but also show vulnerability, which allows the teens in the story to feel comfortable with their own vulnerability. The teens navigate tough situations but show a willingness to learn from mistakes and make amends.

Violence & Scariness

We see several instances of violence and hear about others. A unarmed teen boy is shot and killed; we see the blood, and we see him die. There are other reports of shootings and deaths as a result. Another boy is badly beaten. A woman is described as being beaten. An older gentleman is attacked by a group of young men; we don't see the attack but we see the injuries. Many threats are made on the lives of various people. A young girl dies in a drive-by shooting and her blood is described as mingling with the fire hydrant water. There are school fights between girls and boys. Buildings are set on fire during riots.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

There's talk of an affair between two adults. Teens engage in heavy petting, talk about having sex and condoms. A teen girl is described as being on birth control, and there's discussion of teen pregnancy and the assumption that a married couple is having sex when they go to their bedroom and turn the television up loud. A woman is revealed to be a sex worker.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Conversational swearing by both adults and teens throughout the novel, including "s--t," "f--k," "ass," "bitch," "damn" (and variants), and "nigga."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Name brands including Jordans, luxury automobiles, junk food brands, and restaurants such as Taco Bell are mentioned for scene setting or to show the disparity between lifestyles.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Teens drink alcohol and smoke marijuana at a party. Two adult characters are alcoholics. Adults are described as being addicted to drugs, addiction to crack cocaine is discussed, and both teens and adults are described as selling drugs. We don't actually see drugs being sold, but drug dealing is discussed throughout the novel.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Angie Thomas' New York Times best-selling book The Hate U Give won a 2018 Coretta Scott King Author Honor, a Michael L. Printz Honor, and the Odyssey Award for best audiobook for kids and teens. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, it involves the police shooting of an unarmed black teen. The book covers topics of race, interracial dating, political activism, grief, friendship, wealth disparity, police brutality, addiction, and the media's depiction of African Americans. Parents should be prepared to discuss recent and past instances of police shootings, how they were covered in the media, dealing with grief, and possible reactions to the trauma revealed in the book. There is some conversational swearing by both adults and teens throughout the novel, including "s--t," "f--k," "ass," "bitch," "damn" (and variants), and "nigga." Violence includes an unarmed teen boy shot and killed -- we see the blood and see him die. There are other reports of shootings and deaths as a result. A boy is badly beaten. A woman is described as being beaten. An older gentleman is attacked by a group of young men; we don't see the attack but we see the injuries. A young girl dies in a drive-by shooting and her blood is described as mingling with the fire hydrant water. There are school fights between girls and boys. Buildings are set on fire during riots. Sexual situations include teens engaging in heavy petting, talk about having sex and condoms. There's discussion of teen pregnancy and the assumption that a married couple is having sex when they go to their bedroom and turn the television up loud. A woman is revealed to be a sex worker. Teens drink alcohol and smoke marijuana at a party. Two adult characters are alcoholics. Adults are described as being addicted to drugs, addiction to crack cocaine is discussed, and both teens and adults are described as selling drugs.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

Parents say (53)
Kids say (184)

Based on 53 parent reviews

R Rated Book

What's the story.

In THE HATE U GIVE, Starr Carter is a teen between two worlds: her school, which is rich, fancy, and white; and her neighborhood, which is poor and black. She navigates this differing terrain every day of her life until her worlds collide when she witnesses the fatal police shooting of her best friend, Khalil, an unarmed black teen. Khalil's death goes viral, and Starr is caught in the middle between the protesters in the street and her friends at school. With the eyes of the world on her, Starr has to decide: Will she say what happened that night? Will it matter?

Is It Any Good?

Wrenching, soul stirring, funny, endearing, painful, and frustratingly familiar, this novel offers a powerful look at a few weeks in a fairly typical teen girl's life -- with one horrific exception. Sure she worries about school, issues with friends, and her secret boyfriend, but she's also the sole witness to the fatal shooting of her best friend by a police officer. In The Hate U Give , author Angie Thomas manages to bring humanity -- deep, emotionally binding, full-bodied humanity -- to the victims of police brutality and the families and friends they leave behind. The scenarios that revolve around the shooting are achingly routine -- unarmed African American, the media's push to blame the victim, a lax investigation, and a lack of charges or convictions. However, set against the backdrop of typical teen life, of community and family life, the consequences of the officer's actions and the actions others take after the tragedy take on a life and power beyond what any think piece or talking points on the subject could achieve.

The characters in the book are rich, complex, and fully developed. They feel like family, friends, and neighbors, and they give those unfamiliar with life in urban centers an understanding that the setting may be specific but the human condition is the universal. The tragedy and triumph of Thomas' stellar work is that it's very real and heartbreakingly familiar. Teens will enjoy the book for its unfiltered look at life, death, grief, and social and political commentary, while parents and teachers will enjoy the book's well-written and thorough approach to a complex social issue.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how The Hate U Give discusses the media's reaction to police shootings of unarmed African Americans vs. how it reports violence against or perpetrated by white Americans. What's the difference in the language used? Whom and what does the media focus on when it reports the story? Is it fair?

How do you talk about race and other social issues with friends and family? How do you deal with friends who tell racist, homophobic, and otherwise offensive jokes? What about family members who say inappropriate things? Is it better to ignore or confront the person? What are the repercussions of each approach? What strategies could you use to make the discussion less awkward?

Discuss "the talk" -- the conversation that parents of African American and other minority kids have with their children, particularly their sons, about what to do when confronted by the police. Did your parents give you the talk? How does the conversation differ between what minority children are told and white children are told? (Do white children even have this conversation?) Do you think it's fair that there's a difference in the conversation?

Book Details

Author : Angie Thomas
Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Topics : Activism , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date : February 28, 2017
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
Number of pages : 464
Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Awards : ALA Best and Notable Books , Coretta Scott King Medal and Honors
Last updated : January 15, 2019

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Social issues YA novels can be terrible. The Hate U Give is a stunning exception.

It’s a smart, warm-hearted book that takes on police shootings and systemic racism.

by Constance Grady

The Hate U Give is a didactic issues novel for teenagers. It is also a good book. Those two categories intersect only rarely, but The Hate U Give — a debut novel by Angie Thomas — manages the balancing act with aplomb.

Sixteen-year-old Starr grew up in a poor black neighborhood, but after she saw her best friend gunned down in a drive-by gang shooting when she was 10, her parents sent her off to a wealthy white private school.

Starr rapidly becomes an expert in code switching, saying “ew” at school and “ill” at home; dancing at school, where she knows everyone will assume she’s cool because she’s black, and observing at home, where she would have to work harder to earn her coolness. At school, she hangs out in a white girls’ clique and laughs about her middle school obsession with the Jonas Brothers. At home, she hangs out at her father’s grocery store and talks about how Drake is her future husband.

But all of Starr’s careful work to keep her two worlds separate falls apart when a police officer shoots her childhood friend, Khalil, in front of her. It’s the latest police shooting of an unarmed black man, and the case becomes a national scandal. Starr is the only witness.

At school, her friends talk about how Khalil was a drug dealer who probably deserved it. At home, gangs use Khalil’s death as an excuse to expand their turf wars. Whenever Starr talks to the police, she has to remember that one of them shot her friend and then held her at gunpoint. It’s a vivid, intimate portrait of how systemic racism works to forbid Starr any truly safe space of her own — and of how she builds one anyway, with the help of her deeply supportive family.

It was probably inevitable that someone would write a YA novel about police shootings, but it was not inevitable that it would be a good book. Whenever a societal problem becomes a national obsession, some adult will write a book about it for teenagers; usually the result is a Go Ask Alice – style stew of fearmongering and breathless sensationalism.

But The Hate U Give is charming and funny and carefully crafted, and Starr’s witty, observant, pop culture–inflected voice is a delight. There’s a scene early on where she’s trying to decide how to play things with her boyfriend after a minor transgression on his part: Does she want to go full-on ’90s R&B breakup song, or should she be gentler, like a Taylor Swift song? (“No shade,” she adds, “I fucks with Tay-Tay, but she doesn’t serve like nineties R&B on the angry-girlfriend scale.”) Then it comes to her, the perfect solution: She’ll Beyoncé him.

The specificity and whimsy of ideas like the anger scale of breakup songs is what keeps The Hate U Give moving so deftly through its heavy subject matter; it stays warm and focused and grounded in character even when it’s dealing with big, amorphous ideas like systemic racism. The result is a book so thoughtful and so fun to read that you’ll want to Bruno Mars it.

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The Hate U Give Enters the Ranks of Great YA Novels

The bestselling young-adult book by Angie Thomas looks at police violence through the eyes of a teen girl.

“They finally put a sheet over Khalil. He can’t breathe under it. I can’t breathe.”

The last words of Eric Garner, adopted and amplified by the Black Lives Matter movement, echo again in the early pages of Angie Thomas’s young-adult novel The Hate U Give. By the time she’s 16, Starr Carter, the protagonist of the book, has lost two of her childhood friends to gun violence: one by a gang drive-by, and one by a cop.

As the sole witness to her friend Khalil’s fatal shooting by a police officer, Starr is overwhelmed by the pressure of testifying before a grand jury and the responsibility of speaking out in Khalil’s memory. The incident also means that the carefully built-up boundary between Starr’s two worlds begins to crumble. For years, she has spent her weekdays at a private, majority-white school, where she explains, “I’m cool by default because I’m one of the only black kids there.” Back at home, she lives with her father “Big Mav,” a former gang-member who wants to make their crime-ridden neighborhood a better place, and her mother Lisa, who wants to move away in order to keep her family safe.

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Now in its third consecutive week at number one on The New York Times bestseller list for young-adult novels, Thomas’s debut novel offers an incisive and engrossing perspective of the life of a black teenage girl as Starr’s two worlds converge over questions of police brutality, justice, and activism.

Thomas’s book derives its title from the rapper Tupac Shakur’s philosophy of THUG LIFE—which purportedly stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody”—and it’s a motif the novel returns to a few times. The acronym tattooed across Tupac’s abdomen could be read as an embrace of a dangerous lifestyle. But, as Khalil explains to Starr, just minutes before the cop pulls them over, it’s really an indictment of systemic inequality and hostility: “What society gives us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out.”

This question of appearance versus reality recurs throughout The Hate U Give . Starr, familiar with perceptions of her neighborhood, community, and herself, code-switches to adapt to her environment and others’ expectations. After the shooting, a new narrative—one that paints Khalil as a drug dealer threatening a cop—surfaces, but an emboldened Starr challenges this simplistic framing of her friend. The novel goes on to raise cogent and credible counter-arguments to the flattening narratives often presented by authorities and echoed by many media outlets in shooting cases involving young black males.

As a book written for teens, The Hate U Give reminds readers of just how often racialized violence is carried out against that age group (Michael Brown was 18 when he was killed; Trayvon Martin was 17; and not-yet teen Tamir Rice was 12). And it illustrates how young people of color who might speak out to defend their late friends are unfairly criticized, as happened to Rachel Jeantel when she testified against her friend Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman. Thomas’s novel keenly understands the dangers of defaulting to the cop/vigilante versus “thug” framing device: The deceased get put on trial, rather than their killers.

The Hate U Give has many of the markers of a typical young-adult novel, too: At times, Starr feels judged and out of place in school, she’s navigating a friendship with a “mean girl,” and is a year into her first real romantic relationship. But each of these plotlines is inevitably complicated by race. For example, Starr hides her white boyfriend from her father. “I mean, anytime he finds out a black person is with a white person, suddenly something’s wrong with them,” Starr explains. “I don’t want him looking at me like that.” She’s wary, too, of sharing her role in the investigation at school because she doesn’t trust one of her closest friends to be sympathetic to her situation, and she feels self-conscious about the easy stereotyping of her neighborhood as “the ghetto.”

Thomas’s intimate writing style and the novel’s first-person perspective taps fully into Starr’s shock, pain, and outrage during the shooting and its aftermath. As a result, The Hate U Give allows some readers to see the complexity of their lives mirrored in literature; for others who may be removed from Starr’s experience or haven’t lived through similar tragedies, it can help generate deeper understanding.

In addition to being an engagingly written story, Thomas’s novel is a vital new contribution to the white-dominated publishing industry. Lee and Low Books’s 2015 Diversity survey found that about 80 percent of industry respondents were Caucasian. And while the number of black characters in children’s books has grown over the past decade, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center found that the number of books written by black authors has held relatively steady. In 2016, out of 3,400 new children’s books counted, 278 were about African Americans—a record for 12 years of surveying. But, out of the thousands of books the center receives, the number of African American writers has hovered between 70 and 100 for the same time period.

Appealing to readers across age, not just race, is a goal for Thomas as well. In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan , she explained , “‘Young adult’ is a critical age, and I knew that if I showed Starr going through these types of things, I could provide a mirror for some young adults and a window for adults—a lot of [whom] read young adult books—who might bring open hearts to a story that I told from her perspective, when they might normally look at a topic like this and say, ‘No.’” But thanks to Thomas’s absorbing storytelling, those who read The Hate U Give will be right beside Starr, grappling with understanding entrenched prejudice, where it comes from, and what role she—and those at home—have in exposing and combatting it.

About the Author

The Hate U Give

This is Angie Thomas’ debut novel and was published in 2017. The book was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

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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.

Add it on Goodreads

Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America)

Best young adult nominee, new york times, #1 bestseller, coretta scott king, honor (author), william c. morris, michael l. printz, national book award, boston globe, horn book award.

Ultimately the book emphasizes the need to speak up about injustice. That’s a message that will resonate with all young people concerned with fairness, and Starr’s experience will speak to readers who know Starr’s life like their own and provide perspective for others.

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS (starred review)

A marvel of verisimilitude.

Booklist (starred review)

John Green, #1 NYT Bestselling Author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Absolutely riveting!

Jason Reynolds, bestselling co-author of ALL AMERICAN BOYS

Fearlessly honest and heartbreakingly human. Everyone should read this book.

Becky Albertalli, William C. Morris Award-winning author of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA

This is tragically timely, hard-hitting, and an ultimate prayer for change. Don’t look away from this searing battle for justice. Rally with Starr.

Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of MORE HAPPY THAN NOT

This story is necessary. This story is important.

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Heartbreakingly topical.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Pair this powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys to start a conversation on racism, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

School Library Journal (starred review)

…An important and timely novel that reflects the world today’s teens inhabit… Thomas delivers an authentic plot with realistic, relatable characters.

VOYA, (starred review)

Thomas has penned a powerful, in-your-face novel.

HORN BOOK, (starred review)

Ordering Facts

Order a signed copy from Lemuria Books . For more information, call (601) 366-7619.

ISBN-10: 0062498533 ISBN-13: 978-0062498533 February 28th, 2017 by Balzer + Bray

United Kingdom : Walker Books
Australia & New Zealand : Walker Books
Germany : CBT
France : Nathan
Spanish Language : Oceano
Sweden : Natur & Kultur
Finland : Otava
Norway : Gyldendal Norsk
Denmark : Gyldendal
Brazil : Galera/Record
Italy : Giunti
Catalan Language : Grup Editorial 62
Hungary : GABO
Israel : Kinneret-Zmora Dvir
Dutch : Moon
Serbia : Urban Reads
Bosnia : BTC Sahinpasic

Collector’s Edition

This special edition includes:

a letter from Angie
the meanings behind the names
a map of Garden Heights
the full, original story that inspired the book
an excerpt from On the Come Up

Movie Tie-In Edition

movie poster art
full-color photos
Angie Thomas in conversation with Amandla Stenberg and director George Tillman Jr.

The acclaimed, award-winning novel is now a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg, Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, and Common. Read More

International edition
Australia edition
Europe edition

Simply beautiful to read … Angie Thomas.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas review – racism and police brutality

An outstanding debut stages the debates convulsing America in the story of a teenager who testifies after a shooting

“G irls wear their hair coloured, curled, laid, and slayed. Got me feeling basic as hell with my ponytail. Guys in their freshest kicks and sagging pants grind so close to girls they just about need condoms ...” Then gunshots shatter the music. Fleeing from the party, 16-year-old Starr is led to apparent safety by her friend Khalil. Shortly after, their car is pulled over by a police officer. What happens next crystallises the Black Lives Matter movement and indeed, the whole debate about race in America. The unarmed Khalil is murdered – shot at point blank range by the man Starr refers to from this moment on as “Officer One-Fifteen”. Starr is the only witness to the crime and her 16-year-old shoulders have to bear the ferocious outrage of her race and community.

For her YA debut, Angie Thomas gives Starr a relatively stable home life – her father, “Big Mav”, is the proprietor of a downtown convenience store, and her mother is a nurse.She has two brothers, Seven and Sekani. The family own a pet dog, Brickz, and Starr gets to wear the expensive name-brand trainers of her choice. Starr’s parents have sent her to a school in the suburbs dominated by white middle-class students. Unbeknown to her father, she is dating Chris, a white boy from school who can recite the lyrics to the opening credits of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . To further confuse things, Starr’s Uncle Carlos is a cop who acted as a father figure while Big Mav served a three-year prison term during her childhood – a point of tension between the two men.

When she was 12, Starr’s parents instructed her on sex education – and on what to do if stopped by the police. “Keep your hands visible,” her father advised. “Don’t make any sudden moves.” It’s unnerving to read that part of the toolkit for raising a black child in America is to coach them on the dos and don’ts if confronted by the law.

What makes this novel so compelling is the way Starr negotiates the relatively safe world of school, where she assimilates despite the soft racism of one or two so-called friends, and how she navigates the dangers of her own neighbourhood, where it’s not uncommon to be caught in the crossfire of rival gangs. There is one chilling scene where Starr witnesses a police officer, in a revenge stop, force her father to lie on the ground as he searches him. “Face down,” the policeman yells, his hands never too far away from his gun, humiliating his victim even though Big Mav offers to show his ID and addresses the officer as “Sir”.

Finally, she summons up the courage to make a statement to a grand jury. The world outside waits to learn if the officer who killed Khalil will face charges. As the tension mounts, the reader suffers with Starr’s quite ordinary friends and family as they hurtle through extraordinary experiences and circumstances.

The first-person narrative is simply beautiful to read, and I felt I was observing the story unfold in 3D as the characters grew flesh and bones inside my mind. The Hate U Give is an outstanding debut novel and says more about the contemporary black experience in America than any book I have read for years, whether fiction or non-fiction. It’s a stark reminder that, instead of seeking enemies at its international airports, America should open its eyes and look within if it’s really serious about keeping all its citizens safe.

Children and teenagers

Comments (…)

The Hate U Give

By angie thomas.

Angie Thomas's first novel, 'The Hate U Give,' is a riveting, interesting, and very entertaining piece of work. You will be glued to every page as you read.

Article written by Ugo Juliet

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

‘ The Hate U Give ’ is one book that offers a lot of education, information, and enjoyment to the reader. From the youthful infatuation of characters Starr and Khalil to the budding romance between Starr and her white boyfriend to the unexpected turn of events when Khalil was shot and killed in the presence of Starr, the book has a lot of action to keep a reader glued to the pages.

This is one book that never gets old as the pages and stories therein are always fresh and exciting. It is a beautiful story of Starr Carter, who is a 16-year-old girl from the poor, black community of Garden Heights. In their mostly black community, her protective dad Maverick owns the local grocery store. Starr and her siblings go to private Williamson Prep school about 40 minutes away in a rich white neighborhood because mom Lisa wants her kids to have a good education.

Dual personalities

Starr never felt totally okay with her existence in code-switching. She feels the disapproving glance mean girls give her at Williamson when she spends time with her white boyfriend, Chris. Yet she doesn’t feel like she belongs at the parties with her neighborhood friends. Starr and Khalil are old friends who reconnect at a party in ‘ The Hate U Give ’.

One day while riding home with her friend Khalil, they’re pulled over, and in a series of unfortunate events, Starr watches in horror as her friend is killed. Khalil reaches inside the car for his hairbrush but is gunned down by a white cop who thinks it was a gun. Seeing cable news reports or reading articles about young African-Americans being shot and killed is one thing, but for Starr, it hurts even more since it’s her second close friend to die via a bullet.

Finally, Starr decides to be the voice of Khalil but also, more importantly, to find her own. As she tells Chris in one of the great scenes that reflect the real-life fights of many that if he doesn’t see her blackness, then he doesn’t see her. This book is a coming-of-age story that fits in nicely with a great slate of other significant films with similar themes this year. In its own way, ‘ The Hate U Give’ carry more weight because it deals with kids in their formative years.

Right from when Starr was a child, Maverick taught her what to do when pulled over by police but reminded his kids that “just because we have to deal with this mess, don’t you ever forget that being black is an honor, because we come from greatness.” that was a good foundation that Starr used to work out how best to live her own life and fight systemic prejudice.

Angie Thomas’s first novel, ‘ The Hate U Give’, debuted at No. 1 after its release and, after 18 weeks on the list, is back in the top position. Thomas’s book made news (including a front-page New York Times profile) partly for its topical storyline and partly because Thomas herself, a 29-year-old from Jackson, Mississippi, is so cheerfully a symbol of change in the publishing industry.

As a kid, she wondered if anything could happen to her, ‘the little black girl from the hood?’ This book is a beautiful read about a strong female protagonist who finds the courage to speak out against injustice. A page-turner that I devoured and would be suitable for any reader who is interested in the world and the events that shape it (which should be every reader). This incredible book offers a total understanding of inequality and also highlights the importance of taking a decision and meaningful action within our communities.

It’s amazing to see the ways Angie Thomas so accurately depicts the microaggressions directed toward black people and the accuracy of how the community treats one another. Taking into account the events of the last year, this sought book is essential as a tool to educate and convey marginalized voices. One of the main things to learn from this book is that ‘sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong.

A Great Book with a Fantastic plot

This is an excellent book to read with a strong plot and storyline, especially in the light of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a book filled with good characters who portray a credible representation of the many challenges felt within a typical community of black American New York. Yet, you see the humanity, unity, and compassion they exhibited in their community. This togetherness brought a bit of hope to the tragedy.

‘ The Hate U Give ‘ is an important book to read touching on so many themes , although the main themes in the story are police brutality, racism, and Black Lives Matter. Starr, the main character, makes you empathize with what happens in the story and feel her day-to-day struggles while she also tries to fight for justice on behalf of her friend. This is a great book for group discussion. The publisher’s age recommendation is 14 plus, but I think given the content, I would suggest ages ten years and above.

This is an interesting book that was challenged for its portrayal of the police and its profanities – so a good book to introduce to students in any school. This novel was timely and important, which took a challenging topic and tackled the BLM movement head-on.

I love this book. It is interesting to see how many girls of African and Caribbean descent are drawn to this novel. ‘ The Hate U Give ‘ is an incredibly controversial book. Although I can’t fully relate to the issues the main characters dealt with, the author has written the novel in such a great way that anyone who reads it can understand and have an insight into the pain the black communities go through when one of their own is killed by police. It’s a topic that has been spoken about for years worldwide and is still as relevant today. It is important to keep these conversations going, and this book enables the younger generation to join the discussions and form their own compassionate opinions.

It was an amazing and meaningful book. I was overwhelmed yet pleased by the variety of emotions captured in the novel. Once in a while, someone tells a story that makes so much sense and is more vivid than the news, biographies, journal articles, and history books that try to explain it. Every young person should read this book and see why we shouldn’t be complacent about divisions, injustices, and inequalities related to race.

The Hate U Give Review: An Engaging and Strong Plotline

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Digital Art

Book Title: The Hate U Give

Book Description: 'The Hate U Give' captivates with Starr Carter's journey, tackling police brutality, racism, and racial profiling in contemporary America.

Book Author: Angie Thomas

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins)

Date published: February 28, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-242018-4

Number Of Pages: 472

Writing Style
Lasting Effect on Reader

The Hate U Give Review

‘ The Hate U Give ‘ is a book that you’re going to love. From its opening lines to the struggles Starr Carter had in the book, a reader is met with constant twists and turns. The issue of police brutality and racism is widely addressed. Other contemporary issues like racial profiles were widely discussed in the book. It’s a great book that touches on most of the relevant issues African Americans face in the US.

A plot that is incredibly engaging to the reader
It has original, yet relatable characters
Very relevant
Some current trends in the novel may not be relevant in a few years
Use of bad language and violence

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A review of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Balzer + Bray Hardcover, 464 pls, February 2017, ISBN-13: 978-0062498533

Encaptivated is the best word to describe my experience reading Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give. T he plot was rich with brilliant character moments, heart-breaking scenes and incredible narration.

Justice, inequality and hope are all conveyed flawlessly in The Hate You Give . With issues such as racism being presented in a manner that teens can identify and resonate with, despite the fact that The Hate You Give is a YA novel, I feel everyone should read this book. The text is not only an eye opener but is also outstanding in the way modern issues in society are introduced and progress in this story.

Characterisation, themes and messages conveyed are executed beautifully in this novel. With Starr, being the voice of this book, sharing her insight on the life-altering events which occur throughout this journey. Our main character’s relationships with others are demonstrated beautifully, with rapid-fire dialogue and pop-culture references, all of which I adored. Yet again, the characters are easy to love and their development and arcs throughout is done so brilliantly.

The Hate You Give begins with Khalil, Starr’s childhood best friend, shot by a white police officer after the events of a party. Starr is the only witness. Only she knows the truth, Khalil hadn’t done anything. Only she can speak her story. Starr immediately finds herself caught in a whirlwind of sudden attention from the media, people at her predominantly white prep school – Williamson, her neighbourhood and local gangs. Whilst trying to mourn and discover her inner voice, the dangerous occurrences in Garden Heights increase, she feels distanced from her white boyfriend, Chris and her friendships at school are strained after Khalil’s death.

As we read on, we discover Starr two lives, Williamson Starr – who doesn’t use slang, ‘if a rapper would say it, she doesn’t’, nothing to make her seem ‘ghetto’. And Starr, herself. We see the harsh difference in these two lives, I loved the way Thomas expressed this, it was written in a unique, relatable manner and flowed beautifully.

This has not only been the best contemporary novel I read this year, but also one of the most memorable books I’ve read.

The Hate You Give is a story of both justice and injustice, love and family. This book will have you laughing one minute and crying the next. An exquisite novel, I would recommend to not only YA but adults as well. This novel has a powerful message which needs to be spread. However, certain themes/topics in this book could be sensitive to certain audiences, I would recommend 15+, if anyone is seeking an ‘ideal’ age bracket.

About the reviewer: Emily McDonell was first prize winner in the Hunter Writers’ Centre/Compulsive Reader book review competition. She is a high school student, an avid reader and has a passion for books. It was clear from a very early age that books would play a large part in her life. Emily has participated in the Premier’s Reading Challenge since starting her schooling and her favourite subject is English. Emily has also been a Girl Guide for the past nine years and is currently working to complete her Queen’s Guide Award. Emily also loves animals especially her dog Jersey.

The Hate U Give – Book Review

Title: the hate u give author: angie thomas pages: 444 publication day: february 28th, 2017 publisher: balzer + bray format: hardcover.

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

Booktimistic Star Rating:

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

Riveting, emotionally fraught and heartbreakingly honest, The Hate U Give is one of the most powerful YA contemporaries I’ve read till date. You know, all the hype and attention this book has been getting, all those raving reviews, they are all true and well deserved.

Anyone who has read the premise, would know that this book is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The injustice, police brutality and racial bias for the innocent Black community is a very, very important subject that needs to be addressed and Angie Thomas has done so with a fervor that would resonate with the young minds for years to come.

The Hate U Give, written in the first person narrative, is voiced by the innocent, sixteen-year-old Starr. One night, after returning from a party with Khalil, her childhood best friend, a cop pulls them over and Starr witnesses the most distressing event of her life – the murder of non-threatening, unarmed Khalil for doing absolutely nothing wrong. The cop who stopped them, put multiple bullets into Khalil while Starr sat watching helplessly as her best friend lay bleeding and dead on the streets in the middle of the night.

“I’ve seen it happen over and over again: a black person gets killed just for being black, and all hell breaks loose. I’ve Tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there. I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”

The gist of the book is how Starr deals with the consequences of this devastating tragedy. How she goes through every stage of grief, never once being able to accept that Khalil is actually gone. Her rage towards her friend’s murderer, her determination to do everything possible to get him justice, and also her unspoken fear that justice won’t be served.

Its an intense read, heavy with emotions, but along with the socio political issue that it takes into account, it is also funny and hopeful. The character dynamics is pure brilliance. Starr’s family is perhaps one of the most realistic, supportive, loving and close knit-family I’ve read about. Its commendable how smartly Angie Thomas has rendered the complex relationships amongst various people in the two worlds that Starr is caught in between – one of the rough, poor, Black neighborhood that she lives in and other of the rich White elite prep school that she attends. All characters in this book feel real and involved rather than clichéd and made up and this story, though a work of fiction is utterly close to reality.

I’d say read it, not only for its significant social message but also because its a fantastic and memorable story that deserved to be told. John Green might be right in his saying that this will be remembered as a classic of our time.

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What a movie I watched. I just can’t take it out of my mind. Cannot believe it’s unreal. Am honestly touched by the act of all the characters. Great job.

The Hate U Give (Book Review)

If I could recommend one book to read in 2021, it would be The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I picked up a copy last summer when the library reopened, and even though the book was published in 2017, it felt like it was written yesterday. It felt like it was about now.

About the Book

The Hate U Give is about a 16-year-old girl named Starr Carter who, at the beginning of the book, is living in a poorer, mostly-black neighborhood while attending a wealthy, mostly-white school. She struggles to navigate the two worlds, trying not to act “too ghetto” at school, and worrying about how her dad will react to her having a white boyfriend.

But near the beginning of the book, something terrible happens that shakes up her life: Starr’s close friend is killed by a policeman. This sparks a national protest, and while Starr is grieving her friend’s death, she also has to deal with the fact that he’s now the face of a movement. Kids at Starr’s school use his death as an excuse to cut class and protest. Gangs that hate each other decide to work together to try to prevent riots in their community. They experience tangible, untamable, community-wide grief, but it turns to anger when nobody seems to listen.

And in the middle of it all is Starr, trying to process heavy issues of race, identity, and injustice, while grieving the loss of her friend.

Positive and negative elements

The beauty of the story is that while Starr is wrestling with these issues, we, as the reader, are wrestling with them too. It’s a nuanced story, and it offers plenty of food for thought, but no easy answers.

For instance, in the book, a policeman kills Starr’s friend. When she tries to get justice, she runs up against deep flaws in the criminal justice system. But at the same time, Starr’s beloved uncle, who is also somewhat of a father figure to her, works as a police officer. And so, Starr’s feelings about the police are complicated, and we as readers empathize with that complication.

Now, as with most books, there are some content concerns you should be aware of before deciding whether or not you want to read it. It’s a young adult book, and thus contains some adult themes.

Most notably, this book both depicts racism and discusses it extensively. While this is a timely and necessary topic to explore, it’s also a heavy, hard one. There are also a number of very violent incidents in the book that are hard to read. Finally, there is some foul language and a bit of sexual content that, while not shown and not graphic, is discussed.

Interestingly, The Hate U Give is much more religious than your typical YA book. Starr’s parents have slightly different religious beliefs from each other, and vary a bit in their level of devotion, but the family prays to “black Jesus” together. Starr herself prays, although religion isn’t an enormous part of her life. However, there are side characters in the book who are devout Christians, and Starr’s friend has a religious funeral. I found it very refreshing to see Christianity depicted this way, not as something preachy, not as something evil, but just as a reality.

Overall, The Hate U Give has everything that makes a story good. The characters are interesting and nuanced, and the plot is gripping. As readers, we root for Starr, grieving with her, learning with her, and cheering her on as she finds her voice. But what I loved most about this book is that it talks about important, timely issues, but instead of telling us what to think or giving us pat answers, it shows us a story.

“Young black man killed by police.” We’ve seen this story many times. But what does it look like, not through the lens of the news, not through the lens of the protesters, but from the eyes of a 16-year-old girl who was friends with the victim? The Hate U Give answers this question, telling a beautiful, tragic, hopeful story in the process.

About the author

Emily Smucker

is an author and blogger from Oregon. Her latest book, The Highway and Me and My Earl Grey Tea , is about a year she spent traveling around the United States, living in a different Mennonite community every month. You can visit her blog at emilysmucker.com .

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THE HATE U GIVE

by Angie Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 2017

This story is necessary. This story is important.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is a black girl and an expert at navigating the two worlds she exists in: one at Garden Heights, her black neighborhood, and the other at Williamson Prep, her suburban, mostly white high school.

Walking the line between the two becomes immensely harder when Starr is present at the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Khalil’s death becomes national news, where he’s called a thug and possible drug dealer and gangbanger. His death becomes justified in the eyes of many, including one of Starr’s best friends at school. The police’s lackadaisical attitude sparks anger and then protests in the community, turning it into a war zone. Questions remain about what happened in the moments leading to Khalil’s death, and the only witness is Starr, who must now decide what to say or do, if anything. Thomas cuts to the heart of the matter for Starr and for so many like her, laying bare the systemic racism that undergirds her world, and she does so honestly and inescapably, balancing heartbreak and humor. With smooth but powerful prose delivered in Starr’s natural, emphatic voice, finely nuanced characters, and intricate and realistic relationship dynamics, this novel will have readers rooting for Starr and opening their hearts to her friends and family.

Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-06-249853-3

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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More by Angie Thomas

BOOK REVIEW

by Angie Thomas ; illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey

by Dhonielle Clayton , Tiffany D. Jackson , Nic Stone , Angie Thomas , Ashley Woodfolk & Nicola Yoon

by Dhonielle Clayton & Tiffany D. Jackson & Nic Stone & Angie Thomas & Ashley Woodfolk & Nicola Yoon

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Angie Thomas Sponsors New Writing Scholarship

SEEN & HEARD

Angie Thomas Writing Hate U Give Prequel

IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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by Laura Nowlin

Sales of Print Books Fall in First Three Quarters

A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

From the good girl's guide to murder series , vol. 1.

by Holly Jackson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2020

A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.

Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.

Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT MYSTERY & THRILLER | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, the hate u give.

To everyone at her school with a predominantly white population, Starr is the cool African American girl who is part of a semi-athletic group of friends, and has a sweet, yet oblivious boyfriend. That’s about all they know about her. They don’t know that she lives across town in Garden Heights, an area that’s known as the ghetto. Basically, she’s a part of two polar opposite communities, and Starr has to put on a different face for each one.

At school, she worries about her attitude and her actions, which in the wrong light could place her in the stereotype of the “angry black woman." At home, she’s ridiculed for losing her roots. Her two lives have always been separate, until she takes a ride home with her friend Khalil in Garden Heights, when they’re pulled over by a cop. With both of them unarmed, Khalil is taken out of the car, without a clear reason why. While they wait for the cop to return to the car, Khalil moves toward Starr in the car to check on her, and is shot dead. Being the only witness to Khalil’s brutal murder, Starr must decide if she’s willing to have her two worlds collide in a fight for justice.

"I am telling you right now, go read THE HATE U GIVE, and let it sit with you. Think about it everyday. Tell your friends about it. Read it once, twice, or three times. This is a story you need to know, and a situation you need to be aware of."

Before I start this review, it’s important for you to know the point of view I’m writing from. I am a girl who is completely of European descent, and am white. Because of that, I have a huge amount of white privilege in our society. I have never experienced the consequences of a racial remark or action toward me, and I’ve never had to worry about police brutality directed at me, a reality for so many minorities. In itself, reading THE HATE U GIVE was a privilege. I was able to just read about a situation like Starr’s, and didn’t have to experience it.

I would like to say that I was shocked when I read the outrageous injustices in Starr and Khalil’s story, but I wasn’t. In the years that I’ve finally started to become aware of social issues, I have read stories like Trayvon Martin, who was my age when he was murdered by a neighborhood watch guard for carrying a pack of candy at night, or Eric Garner, who was strangled to death during an arrest because he was selling cigarettes on the street. Those are just two of the hundreds of African Americans killed by authoritative figures in recent years, let alone in all of history.

Starr was one of the most incredible woman that I have ever read in literature, and I would’ve said the same thing if she decided not to pursue the action she took. She constantly showed a track record of standing up for social injustices, and wasn’t afraid to call out someone who was in the wrong. At the same time, she was very aware of the racial construct in the two societies she lived in. From what I observed, she also had a pretty great bond with her family. Both of her siblings were protective of her in the same way she was protective to them.

I also really enjoyed how Angie Thomas worked at breaking down the cycle of poverty, and how it connects to violence, drugs and gangs. Right now, I think that a lot of outlets feed on demonizing anyone who is a victim of police brutality, exploiting any negative background knowledge about them. THE HATE U GIVE brings back their humanity by looking at several situations of people who are just trying to get through life and protect their family, even if their decisions might be dangerous.

Lastly, it’s important to say that in no way is this book anti-cop, and neither is the Black Lives Movement, which plays a huge role in THE HATE U GIVE. Rather, this book highlights the fact that there are fantastic cops and cops who abuse their power. In fact, Starr’s uncle, who is very influential in her life, is a cop, and constantly is a reminder to Starr that while there is evil, there is also good. On a side note, this book explores the complex actions and thoughts that feed into riots, and whether riots are effective or not.

I am telling you right now, go read THE HATE U GIVE, and let it sit with you. Think about it everyday. Tell your friends about it. Read it once, twice, or three times. This is a story you need to know, and a situation you need to be aware of. Most importantly, I urge you to become active in the fight for justice, because when there is injustice anywhere, there is injustice everywhere.

Reviewed by Reanna H., Teen Board Member on March 31, 2017

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Genres: Fiction
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
ISBN-10: 0062872346
ISBN-13: 9780062872340

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Book Review: “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give is a timely, character-driven story packed with moments of fear and love, heartbreak and humor set in Garden Heights, its title born from a Tupac quote. Starr Carter has seen more death than her young years should allow, with lives discarded in the crossfire of a messed up social hierarchy. Witnessing another moment of brutality, Starr finds herself forced to confront the systematic racism within law enforcement and the wider culture it serves.

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.

What Charlie thought:

With a sharply honest, heartbreaking, humorous, and engaging writing style, you can’t help but keep turning the page to find out what happens next. It will crack you up and break you down with its razor-sharp insight and clever tongue.

Starr is drawn in a startlingly clear first-person narrative, with code-switching dialogue woven throughout Thomas’s powerful prose to show Starr both at home amidst family and in the halls of the predominantly white school she attends. Starr herself is a multifaceted protagonist who shows a real teenage spirit, at once tender-hearted, sweetly loyal, funny, flawed, justifiedly tired, hurting, smart, fiercely brave, and demanding of justice. Angie Thomas’s fearless narrative offers a steady gaze at white complacency while centering its black protagonist with familiarity and understanding. It interlaces its serious moments with music, excellent kicks, and a tongue click at and a shrewd eye for mainstream pop culture. Looking at Starr’s dad’s take on Potter Houses and gang mentality will change your life. Starr’s final battle will steal the breath from your lungs.

You will be incredibly moved, horrified, enraged, and energized by this much-needed story. It is full of tears and laughter, unfettered fears and furious joy, family and friendship. For fans of All American Boys , Noughts & Crosses , Allegedly , Orangeboy , and Terror Kid. Movie rights have been sold to Fox, with Amandla Stenberg to star. Put it at the top of your 2017 reading list and share it with all.

I asked fellow blogger Sahina to share her thoughts with us as well, for a more in-depth review. Stay alert for spoilers ahead.

What Sahina thought:

Holy mother of feels. This book. This book. THIS BOOK. Can you tell my nose is flaring, I’m breathing hard like my fat-cat-Garfield-like-self? That rarely happens, except for when I finish a book and feel like I’m about to spontaneously combust. But less about my internal emotions and more about this book.

While this may be one book, there are so many stories told within it. So, so many. A story about racism. About stereotyping. About our current social climate. About interracial couples. About friendship and loyalty. Family. (Has the word “about” started to lose all meaning to you too? About time, eh?)

Angie Thomas has written one of the most relevant, moving, and fiercely powerful stories of this year, of many years even. She’s given a solid, authentic, and undeniably moving voice to a movement, to a group of marginalized and hurt people who are being killed in broad daylight at the hands of the system meant to protect and serve – simply because of the color of their skin. As a Muslim woman myself, who wears a hijab, I have had my fair share of verbal abuse, endless streams of stereotyping, and rude comments, but the plight of black people, the plight born and raised in the #BlackLivesMatter movement, is far more dangerous and, horrifically, far too common. There are many, MANY groups of people, races, and faiths, that are marginalized and abused – but in this current day and age, none more so than Muslims and black people. Yet if you put one of each in a car in current-day America, who do you think is more likely to be stopped, stereotyped on the spot as a thug, and shot at for no reason?

There’s so much in this book that makes you sit up and take notice, really hone in on what’s going on, both on the surface and under the radar. Angie takes on a lot of really hot topics, and despite being a debut author, with her flawlessly on-point narrative and honest commentary through her character of Starr, shines (pun intended) light on issues such as the drug industry and the vicious cycle of damage it causes in black neighborhoods. These “thugs” in her story are mostly borne of unfortunate circumstances and poor prospects for their future, which pushes them into this cycle and never lets them leave. The media, its representation of minorities, and the tragic way in which it can distort reality, makes people see and believe what it wants them to, sometimes without even saying a word. Racism, the many faces of it, whether intentional or not – like even a simple comment about fried chicken being thrown out there – is racism. You may not be a racist person, but that sure as hell doesn’t stop you from making racist remarks. Intentional or unintentional, it’s racism, white privilege, and prejudice at its best.

At the heart of it all is the issue of police brutality, how all it takes is one single misinterpreted moment for your life to literally come crashing down around you. For your life to be taken . And all you will hear about it is the race of the person killed, the color of their skin, their age, and their stereotyped persona – in that order. Black teenager, aged 18, killed in connection with suspected drug cartel and in possession of a gun. Often not even a name, no mention at all that they might have been a straight-A student, a kind boy who helped around the neighborhood, unless of course it’s a white person. In which case their name, followed by their many accomplishments and possibilities of a scholarship or promising athletic career, are the first things you’ll hear about. Layers and layers of positives to hide the dirty deeds of rape, or assault, or the fact that they stabbed an unarmed, innocent black person in the back simply because he was black. Can you tell I’m angry? I am. You should be too . We all should be . This story, about unarmed Khalil, is more than just a story, though brilliantly told – it’s the reality of black people in this day and age.

The characters in this story are outstanding . Every single one. Starr, her courage and fear – both go hand in hand in making her an extremely relatable, honest, and raw character to perfectly move this story forward. Her parents and family – whom I simply adored, especially her uncle – were heartwarmingly real, putting the needs and wants and safety of their children first and foremost. Her dad, whom I especially loved, was such an important character – he didn’t coddle Starr but nudged her to be her own person, to be brave, whether or not that meant putting a target on her back, because as her dad, he would always have her back and wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He wanted her safe, but he also wanted her to be honest, unafraid, unashamed, and fierce – for her voice to be heard. Starr’s uncle – a police officer himself, who bruised his knuckles on the man who dared point a gun at her. Her half-brother Seven, who jumps in the middle of a fight to protect his sister in school. These black men aren’t meant to be heroic and glorified, but rather these are what real, normal, black men are. Family men, men who love and protect – not molded to fit the stereotype of thug, gangster, druggie. Starr’s white boyfriend, Chris – though this book wasn’t about the romance, throwing that in there was another great move from the author to highlight not only the differences in Starr’s world versus Chris’s but also how, through understanding and communication, these differences and why they matter to each can strengthen a relationship.

There’s so much to say about this book – the characters, the story, the love and the loss, the feelings it gave me when reading it, and the many, MANY moments I was brought close to tears. This is such an important book that dissects facets of our society – the flaws, the pitfalls, and also the hopes for the future about human resilience and courage. But also, it’s a fantastic book in itself, written with such authenticity, from a black author, weaving together not just some of the most important parts of our history, but also bringing together a book worthy of reading and, weirdly, enjoying, as there was laughter, sadness, and so much more hidden under the many layers of this story. Characters that stand out, events and dialogues that really pack a punch – this was one hell of a debut from Angie Thomas, and I would trade my left arm to read more of her writing in the future. Believe every word of hype about this book and then some – because you will not be disappointed. You will laugh, you will learn, and you will hopefully come out the other side just a little bit more aware, a little bit more attuned, and a little bit more courageous.

You can also find Sahina’s review on her blog, Reading In Between The Lines .

Copies of this book were provided by the publisher for review.

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The Hate U Give Book Review

Title: The Hate U Give Author: Angie Thomas Type: Fiction Published: 2017 Pages: 438

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

The Hate U Give is a young adult novel whose protagonist, sixteen-year-old- Starr, witnesses the murder of her friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. She is shocked and deeply heart-broken, but it stirs something inside of her which makes her realise that she needs to use her voice to get Khalil’s story heard. Raising questions about race and police brutality, this book is an important insight into what is unfortunately all too much of a reality. But The Hate U Give uses Starr to make us chillingly wonder, even though Khalil’s death was wrong, what’s the chance of him ever actually receiving justice?

Everything I’d heard about this book had been great, and I knew that reading it would be enjoyable, but I think books with so much hype are always dangerous, because they have an expectation to live up to what everyone’s said. Thomas’ writing was enjoyable from the get-go and I loved Starr as a protagonist – she was realistic, as were her relationships with the other characters in the novel too.

What I also liked about this book is how empowering it felt; Starr obviously has to go through a horrible ordeal, but through it, you can see the way she realises things about the world around her, and about how she should use her experience to help other people, and more importantly, get justice for her friend. Throughout the course of the novel, you see her grow from a young person, into someone who is a force to be reckoned with.

Obviously this book is great for showcasing black culture, but it was also disconcerting to read; when Starr says that at 12-years-old, her parents taught her sex education, and what to do if she’s stopped by the police, as a white reader, this felt unnerving to read when you realise that it’s the reality for black children growing up in America.

Unfortunately, while reading, I couldn’t get away from the feeling that the whole thing just felt quite long. It was 438 pages, and usually YA novels are great for the speed in which you can read them. However, there were unnecessarily long sections of dialogue, and I thought all the scenes were all dragged out slightly, and so overall, it was about 50 pages too long.

This is an important story to read regardless of how much I did or didn’t enjoy the writing style, and for that I think it’s worth picking up. Starr is an interesting character and I like how much it sheds a light on a situation which is all too familiar in real life. I also love how Thomas, like Starr, has used her position to start a conversation and try and make a change, which I think is one of the reasons reading, and books, are so great, so for that, this book is very commendable.

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Book Review

The hate u give.

Angie Thomas
Contemporary , Drama

Readability Age Range

Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins
William C. Morris Award, 2017; National Book Award Longlist, 2017; Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, 2017

Year Published

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Starr Carter lives in the predominantly black suburb of Garden Heights, but has attended Williamson, a predominantly white prep school, for six years. When she goes to a spring break party in Garden Heights with her friend Kenya, she feels uncomfortable. She doesn’t know anyone else at the event.

Her evening brightens when her childhood friend Khalil comes over to talk to her. He’s wearing really expensive clothes and jewelry, which upsets Starr because she knows it means he’s become a drug dealer. When shots ring out at the party, she and Khalil assume that the gun violence is yet another skirmish between the local gangs called the King Lords and the Garden Disciples. They run to Khalil’s car and drive away.

As Khalil and Starr leave the party, they are pulled over by a police officer. The policeman, Officer 115, tells Khalil to get out of the car and pats him down several times in an attempt to find drugs or weapons. He tells Khalil to keep his hands on the car. When Officer 115 steps away to his own vehicle, Khalil walks to the driver’s side door to check on Starr. The officer then shoots Khalil three times, killing him.

An ambulance and a few more police vehicles arrive, and Starr’s parents, Maverick and Lisa, come to take her home. After discarding her bloody clothes and sleeping, Starr thinks about another childhood friend, Natasha, who was killed at age 10 in a drive-by shooting. Starr’s parents are concerned because she is the only person besides Officer 115 who saw the incident. Maverick tells Starr not to reveal that she was a witness to the murder so she doesn’t receive any pressure from the police. It’s a Saturday, so Starr goes with her father to work in their family’s grocery store, as if nothing happened.

Starr’s friend Kenya comes by the grocery store to see her, and as the two girls walk out on the street, they meet Kenya’s father, King, the leader of the King Lords. King asks Maverick to hold on to some drugs for him, but Maverick says he won’t tolerate any illegal activities going on at his grocery store. He also tells King to make sure not to hit Seven, who is Maverick’s son with King’s partner Iesha. King tells Maverick to watch his step and not make enemies.

That night, Starr wakes up from a nightmare about Natasha and Khalil, both dead from gun violence. When she wakes up, she overhears her Uncle Carlos, a police officer, talking with her parents in the kitchen. Uncle Carlos wants her to talk with the detectives assigned to the case, but Maverick opposes the idea.

Starr considers talking to the police but wonders whether the police really want justice for Khalil. On Sunday morning, Starr, Maverick and Lisa go to pay their respects to Ms. Rosalie, Khalil’s grandmother. Ms. Rosalie is taking chemotherapy for cancer, so her health is frail. Although she raised Khalil like her own son and his sudden death affects her deeply, she remains emotionally strong.

After school on Monday, Starr goes to the police station with her mom. During her interview, the detective asks Starr leading questions about whether Khalil was involved in drug dealing or illegal activity, implying that his death was justified. At school, Starr’s white friend Hailey asks if the recent shooting death mentioned on television was Starr’s old childhood friend Khalil.

Hailey thinks Khalil deserved to be shot because he had been involved in selling drugs. Starr lies and says that her childhood friend was a different Khalil. She doesn’t want anyone at her school connecting her with the tragedy.

Starr goes to Khalil’s funeral. Before the service, April Ofrah, a member of the local police accountability advocacy group Just Us for Justice, makes a statement. She announces to the crowd at the funeral that Khalil was weaponless when he was murdered and that the local police department has no intentions of arresting the officer responsible.

As the funeral ends, King and multiple members of the King Lords enter the church. King lays a gray bandana, a symbol of his gang, on top of Khalil in the casket, but Ms. Rosalie screams and throws the bandana at King. The King Lords leave, and Starr breaks into tears when she finally has to confront the fact that Khalil is gone forever. Ms. Ofrah offers to represent Starr in court, since Khalil’s wrongful death is about to receive national attention.

That evening, the news shows a protest over Khalil’s death being broken up by police throwing tear gas at the participants. Soon thereafter, all of Garden Heights is in an uproar. Police cars are set on fire, a gas station is looted and Starr can hear machine guns firing outdoors.

The next day, Lisa takes Starr and her younger brother, Sekani, out of Garden Heights to stay with their Uncle Carlos and his family. Starr feels guilty because she didn’t tell the detectives that Khalil got out of the car with his hands up and that the officer also held a gun on her while she was unarmed and crying over her friend’s body. She reasons that if she had mentioned those facts sooner, the detectives would have arrested Officer 115, and the riots and protest marches wouldn’t have happened.

After a long talk with her dad, Starr realizes that the riots are happening partly because of the unjust prosecution system. People are angry because Officer 115 isn’t the first white officer to kill an unarmed black person and not be charged with a crime. She understands that unless people speak up against injustice, the killings and riots will keep recurring.

While at the store with her dad, Starr’s acquaintance Devante comes in, looking frightened. DeVante is a teenage King Lord, but he’s hiding from King, and he no longer enjoys the gangbanger lifestyle. Maverick agrees to help Devante get out of the gang, and Starr feels that even though she wasn’t around to help Khalil leave the drug-dealing lifestyle, maybe she and her father can help DeVante.

At school, Starr’s white friends stage a walk-out protest over Khalil’s death, but they’re only protesting in order to get a day off from school. Hailey still thinks Khalil deserved to die if he was a drug dealer, and Starr is furious over her friend’s callousness and over the other students’ selfish reasons for the protest. When she gets home, she hears that local gang members have beaten up some police officers.

Reporters come to Garden Heights, and an elderly man named Mr. Lewis says on live television that King, the leader of the King Lords, is to blame for the beatings. After the reporters leave, Maverick argues with Mr. Lewis about the foolishness of his statements. Police officers arrive to see if there’s trouble between the two arguing men.

When they learn that Maverick is Starr’s father, the father of the murder witness, they force him to lie on the ground while they search him for drugs or weapons. The rioting situation in Garden Heights becomes extreme. A 10 p.m. curfew is instated, and an Army tank rolls through the streets warning citizens to stay inside or be arrested.

Mr. Lewis is beaten up by King Lords in retaliation for calling out King’s name on television. Maverick finds out that DeVante stole money from King in order to get his family out of Garden Heights, so he takes DeVante to Uncle Carlos’ house for safety. DeVante tells Starr that Khalil wasn’t a King Lord. He turned down King’s offer to join the gang but sold drugs for King mostly to pay off his drug-addicted mother’s debt to King.

Bolstered by this knowledge, Starr gives her official statement to the district attorney (DA) for the criminal case and even agrees to go on national television and have an interview with a famous broadcast personality. In the interview, Starr puts herself at risk by saying that Khalil only became a drug dealer to save his mother from the wrath of the biggest drug dealer in Garden Heights. Her statement could make her a target for King’s retaliation, but she doesn’t care. Her interview goes viral, receiving millions of views and a deep outpouring of support and sympathy.

Starr goes to prom with her white boyfriend, Chris, who is emotionally distant from her. Chris feels hurt that he had to learn that Starr was the witness to Khalil’s murder by watching her interview on national television, not by hearing it from her in person. Starr cries and tell him about all the violence she’s witnessed, telling him about her home life and her hidden struggles for the first time. They make up and enjoy prom.

Due to the ever-increasing violence, Starr’s family decides to move out of Garden Heights. Before they can actually move away to a safer environment, someone fires a gun at their house and throws a brick through their window. Maverick isn’t’ sure whether it was the police or the King Lords.

Grand jury day arrives, and Starr feels apprehensive about going to the grand jury room alone. Her mother tells her that being brave doesn’t mean not being scared — it means being scared and doing something anyway. This gives Starr the courage to speak with the DA, Ms. Monroe, in front of the jury for three hours.

Eight weeks after Khalil’s murder, Hailey confronts Starr for lying and saying she didn’t know Khalil. Hailey also says that Khalil would have been shot sooner or later anyway because he was a drug dealer. She believes that it was good that he died so the world could have one less dealer.

Starr punches her, and then she and Hailey get into a fistfight. Hailey’s brother grabs Starr, which makes Starr’s older brother Seven join the fight, too. All four of them are suspended from school for a few days, and Starr finally cries and screams enough to help her process her grief. At home, Starr finds her dad having a meeting with some King Lords and Garden Disciples, discussing how they can all show some unity when the grand jury’s verdict comes out. Maverick is concerned that if the jury doesn’t indict Officer 115, the gangs will riot again.

Thirteen weeks after Khalil’s murder, Starr’s family has moved into their new neighborhood. Seven hears that DeVante is hurt, and he, Starr and Chris go to Seven’s mother’s house in Garden Heights. A bruised and bloody DeVante lies on the floor as the King Lords have a party in the backyard.

Seven’s mother tells Seven to get DeVante out of the house and to take Seven’s younger sisters Kenya and Lyric away, too. Seven’s mother acts like she doesn’t care about her son, but she’s really trying to save him and his sisters. She wants them to run away while King is distracted.

Seven, Starr, Chris and DeVante leave Kenya and Lyric in a safe place and drive away. On the radio, they hear that the grand jury has decided not to indict Officer 115. Starr and Seven are so angry, they want to riot. Dozens of people are already rioting on Magnolia Street, and although Starr is initially glad to scream along with the other rioters, she balks at their willingness to burn and loot local businesses.

Police in riot gear, accompanied by two Army tanks, arrive to disperse the rioters, who throw objects at them. Starr and Seven walk to Carnation Street, the site of Khalil’s murder, where Starr’s attorney, Ms. Ofrah, is leading another protest. The police warn the rioters to disperse.

Ms. Ofrah tells Starr to use her voice as a weapon and gives her a bullhorn. Starr tells the police that what happened to Khalil was wrong and that until the police change their ways, she and others like her will keep rioting. The police throw a tear gas canister at the crowd, but Starr grabs it and throws it back at them before it explodes.

A King Lord friend of Maverick’s picks up Starr, Seven, DeVante and Chris in his truck and drops them off at Maverick’s grocery store so they can get milk to pour on their faces, which have been burned by tear gas. A flaming explosive flies through the grocery store window and detonates, starting a fire that traps the four teens inside.

At the last minute, Maverick arrives to unlock the back door and rescue Starr and her friends. Across the street, King laughs and smirks, finally having gotten his revenge on Starr’s family for Starr mentioning him on TV. The police arrive and arrest King for suspected arson, while firefighters put out the blaze at the grocery store.

Uncle Carlos says that King will get an arson charge, but that he’ll probably be out of jail in a week. DeVante offers to reveal the location of King’s drug stash to the police, to get King put away more permanently. He says that Starr’s speech to the police gave him the courage to speak out, too.

Starr and her family visit the remains of her dad’s burned-out store. Old Mr. Lewis decides to give Maverick some land so that he can expand his grocery store and make an even better shopping place for the people of Garden Heights. Starr rests happily in the knowledge that she and her family will rebuild their business and strengthen their ties with their community, despite having changed residences. She also mentally promises Khalil that she’ll never forget him and that she’ll never again be silent in the face of injustice.

Christian Beliefs

There is a painting of Black Jesus in Starr’s house, and Starr frequently thinks in pseudo-spiritual terms, saying she’ll need Black Jesus to help her out of difficult situations. Maverick also addresses Jesus as “Black Jesus,” and prays for his family every morning after breakfast.

When Khalil dies, Starr says she hopes he sees God. Starr’s mother, Lisa, is a devout Christian who attends church with her family regularly, prays and listens to Gospel music on the radio. Starr notes that her family used to attend an all-black church, but moved to a racially diverse church.

Khalil’s funeral is held at a church where the pastor preaches comfort using passages from the Bible. His sermon about how Khalil has gone to heaven and how joy can still be found after death distresses Starr, who doesn’t understand why the crowd at the funeral insists on praising Jesus when Jesus let Khalil die. Maverick says the only people Starr has to fear are her parents and God. He says seven is a holy number and that his son Seven was his gift from God.

Other Belief Systems

Starr thinks that her dad follows the Black Panther’s Ten Point Program more than the Ten Commandments, and he also agrees with the Nation of Islam on certain points. He has his children memorize the Ten Points of the Black Panther movement.

Authority Roles

Starr’s father, Maverick, loves and supports her. Starr works at her father’s grocery store, which gives them ample opportunities to bond. From his example, she learns how to patiently and kindly deal with difficult people. Maverick was a gang member and even went to prison for three years when Starr was young, but now he avoids any and all gang activity and dedicates himself to family life. Starr’s mother Lisa is alternately compassionate and no-nonsense, offering a huge source of support for Starr during her ordeal.

Seven’s mother, Iesha, is in an on-and-off relationship with King, the father of her two youngest children. Iesha isn’t capable of defending her children from King when he gets violent.

Khalil’s mother is a drug addict, who was absent for most of his childhood. Khalil’s grandmother, Ms. Rosalie, is a kind woman who opened her home to Starr’s mother, Lisa, when she was a pregnant high school senior. Ms. Rosalie baby-sat Starr for free so that Lisa could go to college, and she has a reputation for showering affection on all the neighborhood children.

Starr’s Uncle Carlos loves her like a father and frequently shows his care and support for her.

Profanity & Violence

The following words are used extensively throughout the story: a– , d–n , the f-word, h— and s— , along with a few uses of b–tard and b–ch . The Lord’s name is used in vain a dozen or so times.

Starr hears gunshots at the spring break party. She doesn’t see the source of the gunfire, but assumes that it’s related to turf wars between two local gangs. Later, she learns the DeVante’s brother was killed at the party.

Officer 115 shoots Khalil three times, killing him. Khalil’s gunshot wounds bleed heavily and his blood stains Starr’s clothes and shoes. Starr recalls her childhood friend Natasha dying at age 10 from a drive-by shooting. DeVante is beaten bloody by the King Lords. King beats Iesha regularly, a fact known to the neighborhood.

The title of the novel is a reference to one of rapper Tupac Shakur’s tattoos, which spelled out “THUG LIFE” in capital letters. Tupac said the words were an acronym for “The Hate U Give Little Infants [f-word]s Everybody.” The phrase and its meaning are discussed a few times in the novel.

Sexual Content

Family relationships get complicated due to promiscuity. Starr and her friend Kenya share an older brother, Seven, but they aren’t sisters. Starr’s dad is Seven’s dad, and Kenya’s mom is Seven’s mom. Starr remembers her first kiss at age 10 with Khalil.

When Starr was 12, her mother, a registered nurse, explained sex to her very factually and told her that she shouldn’t be sexually active until she became an adult.

Starr and her boyfriend, Chris, have been dating for a year. Starr’s mother discovers they are dating when she walked in on them kissing. Starr and Chris have a big argument about physical boundaries because they’re used to fooling around sexually. Starr doesn’t want to actually have sex because she knows so many teen girls with babies. She’s angry when Chris shows her a condom and makes it clear that he’s ready to have sex if she’s changed her mind. On an emotionally fraught day, Starr begins unzipping Chris’ pants to initiate sex, but he refuses her because he recognizes that she wants the connection for the wrong reasons.

Starr’s mother, Lisa, became pregnant with Starr when she was a senior in high school. Lisa checks to confirm that Starr is taking birth control pills, despite Starr still being a virgin. Iesha dresses provocatively and is known to have sex with men for pay, with King’s full knowledge. She conceived Seven with Maverick during a paid exchange.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Pages: 432 Publish date: April 6th, 2017 Publisher: Walker Books Australia ISBN: 1406372153 Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

The Hate U Give:

I received a review copy of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas from Walker Books Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I don’t know how this review is going to go, I don’t know if I’ll be able to express my thoughts right. If what I am feeling is going to come across. I loved this book and I don’t even know how to start expressing how powerful, poignant and brilliant The Hate U Give is.

The Hate U Give follows sixteen-year-old protagonist Starr who lives in two worlds. The poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and the posh school that she attends. And she likes to keep them very apart. But, that balance is thrown when she is the only witness to a fatal shooting that kills her best friend, by a white police officer. When what she can say can cause chaos not only to her community but to her family Starr has to come to some decisions on what is wrong and what is right.

I loved Starr as the protagonist. She is raw and real and captured me from the get-go. I was thrown into her world and I was intrigued. Starr lives these two lives. The one with her family, in the place she has lived most of her life. But, then she goes to school in a totally different place. I don’t think Starr put on a persona in any of those lives, however, she did let certain traits come out in different ways. Throughout The Hate U Give, my heart broke for Starr, I just wanted to give her a massive hug. Being a teenager is already hell, but having such a burden, such an experience, just.

I loved this novel for many reasons, but something that stood out well and true was how real it was. How raw. I had to read The Hate U Give slowly. At first, I was flying through it, but when I reach the 80-page mark – I was a mess. The tears were flowing and they weren’t going to stop. So I read a couple chapters each day. But, it didn’t matter how many I read – I still cried.

The Hate U Give is so important not just for Americans, but everyone else in the world. It explores how injustice legal systems are. How people are prejudice, how they see someone just by the colour of the skin. By how they look. It’s not only heartbreaking in the book, but because it’s real. Because it’s happening, yesterday, today and tomorrow.

And even though I hated seeing Starr struggling with the decisions that she had to make, I also loved seeing it. Because like the whole book – it was real.

I’d ask him if he wished he shot me too

I loved the sense of family in The Hate U Give. While conventional at times, Starr’s family warmed my heart. They shared so much love between them, even if they didn’t always show it at times. They were there for each other when they need them most.

I also loved the romance, even though most of the foundation of the relationship has been built before the book, I adored seeing it grow. The Hate U Give explores the notion of interracial couples and how they are perceived. It was hard and heartbreaking, but gosh did it put a smile on my face.

Overall, if I could give this more stars I would. The Hate U Give is a brilliant and powerful story. It’s heartbreaking, poignant and so so true. It’s a book that everyone should read, and understand. The Hate U Give explores family, friendship and what is right. I wanted to cry, scream and hurt. So I beg you please pick up this book, read it, take it in and understand.

Have you read The Hate U Give? What did you think of it? Are you planning on reading it? Are there any other books that explore that matter that you have read or want to read? Let’s Chat!

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Loved your review, Angel! I share all of the same feelings as you! Such a beautiful and powerful book, I really hope everyone gets a chance to read it because it’s just so damn important!

I have been hearing so many wonderful things about this book. It makes me glad that we can start a dialogue about this topic. It’s not a topic, really, it’s a reality for many people, and it is our duty to address it. Great review, and it’s super necessary. Thank you for sharing!

Yesss, this is such a perfect review!! I was at a loss for words afterwards too. It was so perfectly real, like I forgot it was even a fictional story BECAUSE IT JUST FELT SO REAL. And Starr’s family was absolutely the best though <3 And Starr!! Perfectly amazing protagonist!! This author is definitely auto-buy now for sure. 😍

I’ve literally heard nothing but amazing things about this book and I am dying to get my hands on it. I’m so happy that this book is getting all the attention it deserves. It’s such an important topic and I’m just so excited to read it. I feel like I’m going to learn a lot from it, great review<3

I totally want to read this! I’ve heard so much awesomeness about it!

I’m so so so happy you loved this one! I’m thrilled that this is getting so much attention because it’s just so important for BLM as well as the injustices of the legal system to gain more attention. Great review, and happy reading!

Amazing review, I’m hoping my copy comes today *fingers crossed* this story not only sounds important but also beautiful and something I’m going to love. Your aesthetic is also so pretty *heart eyes*

Angel, this is such a lovely review <3 I think you got your feelings across beautifully, and I have to say I am more keen to read this book than I was before! I think it is such an important story, and I hope that people will read it and learn and grow as people. It would be such an incredible outcome for it.

I am so glad you loved this book, lovely!

I absolutely agree with all of your points Angel. T.H.U.G. is all sorts of amazing, I can’t wait until the rest of the world reads it and feels its power. I know it certainly affected me. So glad you enjoyed it! Great review 😀

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“The Hate U Give,” Reviewed: An Empathetic, Nuanced Portrait of a Teen’s Political Awakening

There’s no special merit to films that address subjects of urgent political concern, nor to ones that advocate progressive views. Sometimes such movies offer little more than fan service, of a sort that hardly differs from canonical interpretations of superhero stories designed to please hardcore followers. In skewing their drama and characters in order to stoke viewers’ responses in favor of one particular outcome, some political movies dull the emotional experience of watching. Far from advancing and reinforcing the desired view, such numbing movies suggest that the view exacts a price in vitality; viewers will decide for themselves whether the trade-off is worth it. What’s certain is that a narrow view of advocacy and a narrowed emotional range go hand in hand, and that filmmakers, in the grip of their own persuasion, often miss that connection.

“The Hate U Give,” which is in wide release this Friday, does not fall into this trap. It’s an explicitly political movie that advocates a manifestly progressive view of its subjects, but it does so with a varied emotional energy, a set of complex characters in uncertain situations, and a perspective that emphasizes the drama’s open-ended, trouble-filled engagement with society at large. It does so with a sense of balance, of heads-up alertness that suggests a dramatic type of peripheral vision—the director, George Tillman, Jr., seems to know, and to convey that when the camera is on one character or several others are present and potent, whether just out of frame or somewhere out of view but clearly exerting an unseen influence.

It’s the story of a black family living in the predominantly black Georgia neighborhood of Garden Heights and confronting, directly and personally, legally enforced and socially reinforced norms of racism—which is to say, they’re a perfectly ordinary black American family, working and living under circumstances that, as is clear from the start, would be inconceivable for a white family to face. The central character, Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg), a sixteen-year-old high-school student, is also the movie’s central consciousness—her presence, her conflicts, and her voice (in the form of a retrospective voice-over) dominate the film from beginning to end. The movie, based on a novel by Angie Thomas , with a screenplay by Audrey Wells (who died earlier this month), opens with Starr’s recollection of “the talk” that her father, Maverick (Russell Hornsby), gave her and her two siblings—about how to behave if stopped by a police officer, in order not to give the officer any excuse to shoot them.

Starr was nine at the time. Her half brother was ten, and his very name, Seven, is relevant to the story’s premise: he was named by Maverick in reference to point No. 7 of the Black Panthers’ Ten-Point Program, which demanded “an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people,” and it’s precisely the police murder of a black person on which the drama of “The Hate U Give” pivots. Maverick, who owns a convenience store, and Starr’s mother, Lisa (Regina Hall), a nurse at a local hospital, arrange for Starr to attend a well-funded, predominantly white high school in a nearby community. (Starr describes the “two versions” of herself—Version One, which is her in her own neighborhood, and Version Two, which she puts forward in her school in order not to be considered “ghetto.”)

Starr Version One goes to a party with black friends in her neighborhood; when shots ring out, one of them, a young man named Khalil (Algee Smith), a lifelong friend, brings her to safety and drives her home. But during a routine traffic stop—ostensibly for a failure to signal a lane change but actually a case of a white cop catching Khalil “driving while black”—he reaches for his hairbrush, which the officer claims to believe is a gun, and shoots Khalil dead. Starr, the only witness, had started recording the arrest on her phone; ordered to put it away, she nonetheless is able to identify the officer by his badge number.

When a grand jury is convened to consider charges against the officer, Starr is asked by an attorney for Khalil’s family named April Ofrah (Issa Rae) to testify. But, as Starr knows, Khalil had been a newbie small-time drug dealer (because his family faced a catastrophic failure of the safety net) and was working for a local kingpin named King (Anthony Mackie), who pressures—and threatens—her not to testify. What’s more, Starr also faces pressure from the local police and their allies not to testify. To complicate matters, Maverick is King’s former “right-hand man.” He served three years in jail for a crime committed by King—the deal being that, after his release, he’d be released from the gang. Maverick wants Starr to testify; Lisa, however, who fears King’s gang (the King Lords), as well as the police, wants to protect Starr above all, and to keep her from testifying.

The drama is sharply delineated, the conflict clearly drawn—but Wells’s script sets them in motion by means of a wide array of complicating subplots and contextualizing incidents, which Tillman balances nimbly, energetically, and perceptively. There’s Starr’s relationship with Chris (K. J. Apa), her boyfriend, a white classmate; her friendships with other classmates, white and Asian; her relationships with her younger brother, Sekani (TJ Wright), with Seven (Lamar Johnson), and with Seven’s other half sister, Kenya (Dominque Fishback); her relationship with her uncle, Carlos (Common), who’s a police officer; and there’s the media factor, which plays a role in all of these relationships. The killing of Khalil is major local news, widely reported on television—though, because she is a minor, Starr’s identity is concealed, including from her friends.

What’s more, these media accounts are themselves a defining aspect of the movie’s societal landscape: the depiction of Khalil, the obsession with his criminal behavior, the depiction of his family, the depiction of protests that erupt after his killing, the representation of the Garden Heights community, the questions posed in interviews by a Barbie-like TV reporter are all implicated in the story. Similarly, attempts by the police to prevent residents from recording officers’ actions are also elements of the drama; so is the oppressive prevalence of gun violence on the part of the drug-dealing gang and the endemic, menacing presence of guns in the homes of law-abiding citizens as well; so is local activism, the urgency of protest, and police repression of it.

There’s also a plethora of social context in the film, regarding both Starr’s personal and familial backstory and the political framework within which Maverick is raising the family. (He instills his children with political ideals by way of a quasi-military but nonthreatening discipline.) Lisa—who nonetheless shares Maverick’s larger ideals—inculcates in the children a practical and fundamentally apolitical route to success. Despite Starr’s painful efforts to meet the unfair expectations of her white classmates, she meets with a wide range of uncomprehending judgments ranging from oblivious to insidious. The vectors of frustration, rage, and despair that rack the black residents of Garden Heights are echoed, wrongly and prejudicially, in the media in ways that only aggravate the hostility that the residents face.

The very title of the film, borrowed from the late Tupac Shakur’s explanation of his album titled “Thug Life”—The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody—highlights the cycle of damage caused by racism. The phrase, like the film, unambiguously asserts that racist practices and attitudes, whether official or merely habitual, are the underlying engine of the movie’s very action. The movie isn’t a bold or bracing work of stylistic originality; rather, it’s one in which a familiar manner is expanded and elevated by way of insight and sensibility. “The Hate U Give” is the rare movie that puts the background into the foreground—that integrates its characters’ personal struggles and dreams with a wide and clearly observed political and historical environment. Its unstinting vigor and empathetic but unsentimental nuance mark it as a distinctive and exceptional political film.

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“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” Reviewed: Melissa McCarthy Finally Gets the Dramatic Role She Deserves

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Slowing down for self-reflection improves the speed of your leadership.

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Self-reflection is not merely beneficial in leadership—it is essential.

Are you running so fast that you find it impossible to slow down?

As someone who has spent two decades in high-level leadership roles within high-paced educational institutions, I know what it’s like to run from one project to the next, trying to keep my head above water. But somewhere along the line, I realized something needed to change. I started to harness the power of self-reflection.

Self-reflection is not merely beneficial in leadership—it is essential. It enhances your leadership performance, providing clarity, insight, and a deeper understanding of your actions and decisions. I’ve discovered that self-reflection promotes a healthy, cathartic, and healing process, making it a necessary practice for effective leadership.

Steps for Self-Reflection

There are many ways to practice self-reflection, but here is a simple practice that works well for me, especially during hectic days. First, find a quiet, distraction-free environment. Many leaders find solace outside, surrounded by nature’s calming sounds—chirping birds, rustling leaves, or gentle waves. Nature’s tranquility helps to quiet the mind and open the heart, creating the perfect setting for introspection.

Next, begin your self-reflection with a few deep breaths. Inhale deeply, feel the air fill your lungs, and exhale slowly, releasing tension. As you breathe, engage your senses.

What do you hear? What do you see? Are there any particular scents in the air? How does the air and the sun feel on your skin? Engaging your senses helps anchor you in the present moment, fostering a sense of calm and focus.

With your eyes closed, continue to breathe deeply and shift your attention to your breathing pattern and how it makes you feel. As you settle into this state of relaxation, start to reflect on your leadership journey. Consider who you are as a leader, where you are in your career, what you have accomplished, and your strengths. Acknowledge your capabilities and the potential within you.

‘Are You Ready?’—Elon Musk Fans Wild Rumors Donald Trump Will Create A U.S. Bitcoin Strategic Reserve And Trigger Crypto Price Chaos

‘house of the dragon’ season 2, episode 6 recap and review: the flight of the dragonriders, crowdstrike update: microsoft releases windows tool to fix 8.5 million machines.

Next, think about a specific challenge or issue you are currently facing in your leadership role. Visualize this problem clearly. Then, skip ahead in time and imagine that the problem has been solved. What do you see that confirms that it has been resolved? How does this resolution make you feel? What emotions arise when you picture the challenge now behind you?

Work back in time and contemplate what might have changed or shifted to bring about this solution. Consider what actions or decisions led to the resolution of the problem. Now, think about what you could do in the present to create these changes or shifts. Identify the first steps you need to take and make a mental note of them. Take a few more deep breaths, feeling a sense of clarity and purpose fill you. Then, open your eyes and prepare to act on the insights you’ve gained.

Self-Reflection Means Pausing and Looking Inward

Remember that self-reflection is about looking inward and planning actionable steps to improve leadership and solve challenges. Incorporating self-reflection into your routine can be incredibly rewarding. By regularly taking the time to pause and look inward, you can develop a deeper understanding of yourself and your leadership style.

One key benefit is that it helps you acknowledge and appreciate your accomplishments and strengths. As a leader, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily responsibilities and forget about the progress you’ve made. Reflecting on your achievements can boost your confidence and motivate you to continue growing.

Moreover, self-reflection allows you to identify and address issues or challenges proactively. By taking a step back and analyzing situations from a calm and focused state, new perspectives and insights emerge, revealing potential solutions and helping you create actionable plans for overcoming obstacles.

For example, if you’re dealing with a team conflict or a difficult strategic decision, use self-reflection to visualize the issue and explore different ways to resolve it. By imagining the problem solved, you can identify the steps needed to reach that resolution and then plan how to implement those steps. This method can be applied to various aspects of your leadership, from managing teams to making strategic decisions.

Granted, this technique I described includes meditation, visualization, visioning, backcasting, and other approaches. However, basic self-reflection is at the heart of it, and it helps promote personal growth and development. It encourages you to think about your values, beliefs, and behaviors and how they align with your goals and aspirations. This introspection can lead to meaningful changes and improvements, making you more intentional and mindful in your actions.

Leadership Requires Self-Reflection

In short, self-reflection is a valuable practice. I’d encourage you to embrace self-reflection as a regular part of your leadership routine and experience the transformative benefits it can bring. Today, if you find yourself running faster than you’d like, take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect. Listen to the sounds of nature, feel the breeze on your skin, and let your mind wander…and wonder.

Consider who you are as a leader, your achievements, and your capabilities. Identify any challenges you face and visualize the steps needed to overcome them. With each reflection, you’ll find yourself growing stronger, wiser, and more in tune with your true leadership potential.

Every leader wants to run fast. But if you want to run far, you must take some moments to slow down and reflect. These will give you the fuel and clarity you need to continue.

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Chaos and Confusion: Tech Outage Causes Disruptions Worldwide

Airlines, hospitals and people’s computers were affected after CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity company, sent out a flawed software update.

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A view from above of a crowded airport with long lines of people.

By Adam Satariano , Paul Mozur , Kate Conger and Sheera Frenkel

July 19, 2024

Airlines grounded flights. Operators of 911 lines could not respond to emergencies. Hospitals canceled surgeries. Retailers closed for the day. And the actions all traced back to a batch of bad computer code.

A flawed software update sent out by a little-known cybersecurity company caused chaos and disruption around the world on Friday. The company, CrowdStrike , based in Austin, Texas, makes software used by multinational corporations, government agencies and scores of other organizations to protect against hackers and online intruders.

But when CrowdStrike sent its update on Thursday to its customers that run Microsoft Windows software, computers began to crash.

The fallout, which was immediate and inescapable, highlighted the brittleness of global technology infrastructure. The world has become reliant on Microsoft and a handful of cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike. So when a single flawed piece of software is released over the internet, it can almost instantly damage countless companies and organizations that depend on the technology as part of everyday business.

“This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world’s core internet infrastructure,” said Ciaran Martin, the former chief executive of Britain’s National Cyber Security Center and a professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University.

A cyberattack did not cause the widespread outage, but the effects on Friday showed how devastating the damage can be when a main artery of the global technology system is disrupted. It raised broader questions about CrowdStrike’s testing processes and what repercussions such software firms should face when flaws in their code cause major disruptions.

How a Software Update Crashed Computers Around the World

Here’s a visual explanation for how a faulty software update crippled machines.

How the airline cancellations rippled around the world (and across time zones)

Share of canceled flights at 25 airports on Friday

50% of flights

Ai r po r t

Bengalu r u K empeg o wda

Dhaka Shahjalal

Minneapolis-Saint P aul

Stuttga r t

Melbou r ne

Be r lin B r anden b urg

London City

Amsterdam Schiphol

Chicago O'Hare

Raleigh−Durham

B r adl e y

Cha r lotte

Reagan National

Philadelphia

1:20 a.m. ET

CrowdStrike’s stock price so far this year

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Suspect came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why

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NEVER KNOWN TO BE POLITICAL

Investigation begins after gunfire during a campaign rally by Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania

Reporting by Nathan Layne and Gabriella Borter in Bethel Park, Jasper Ward and Kanishka Singh in Washington; Additional reporting by Aaron Josefczyk in Bethel Park, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago, Tyler Clifford in New York, and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Paul Thomasch, Lisa Shumaker and Lincoln Feast.

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Thomson Reuters

Gabriella Borter is a reporter on the U.S. National Affairs team, covering cultural and political issues as well as breaking news. She has won two Front Page Awards from the Newswomen’s Club of New York - in 2020 for her beat reporting on healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2019 for her spot story on the firing of the police officer who killed Eric Garner. The latter was also a Deadline Club Awards finalist. She holds a B.A. in English from Yale University and joined Reuters in 2017.

Andean condor in rehab highlights conservation challenges

An Andean condor being treated in Chile with lead in its blood, a pellet embedded in its skull and a satellite tracker from Argentina highlights the challenges of conserving this endangered bird.

Scorching heatwave grips northern Mexico, locals struggle to cope

Watch Eric Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention

Eric Trump took the podium at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday to say former president Donald Trump left the comforts of his business empire to save the soul of the nation.

The Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization said his father has proven time and time again that he is not fueled by personal ambition but by courage, determination and profound love for the American people.

"My father has been persecuted, targeted by far left Democrats, funded by special interest groups and handpicked judges. My father has been pulled off the ballot of states, radical justices attempting to defy the will of millions of Americans who adore who he is and what he stands for," Eric Trump said.

Eric's words followed Wednesday's speech by Donald Trump Jr., who attacked the administration of President Joe Biden on inflation, border policy and so-called cancel culture. Trump Jr. also complained about the Department of Justice and the 34 state felony convictions against the former president.

Watch Eric Trump's full speech at the RNC

What to know about Eric Trump

Trump's second eldest son, Eric is an American businessman, philanthropist and former reality TV personality. He is among the cohort of Trump's loved ones who spoke at the RNC. Lara Trump, Trump's daughter-in-law (Eric Trump's wife), Donald Trump Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle, Trump's soon-to-be daughter-in-law (Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée) spoke earlier this week.

On the first night of the convention Monday, during an interview with NBC News ' Savannah Gutherie, the 40-year-old reflected on his father surviving Saturday's assassination attempt and his plans for an "incredibly positive" speech. He also praised his dad's decision to select Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.

"The chemistry between the two of them... is really tremendous," Eric Trump said. They communicate well."

The Republican National Convention is in Milwaukee through Thursday where former President Donald Trump on Thursday will formally accept the party’s nomination for the 2024 Election.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network have more than 60 journalists on the ground in Milwaukee and you can follow along with our live blog for updates throughout the day .

RNC replay: Donald Trump taps JD Vance as running mate, makes first public appearance since shooting

When and where is the Republican National Convention?

The Republicans' convention will take place over four days, from July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Fiserv Forum , home of the Milwaukee Bucks , will be the main venue for the RNC.

There also will be events at the nearby University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena and the Baird Center.

How can you watch the event and stay up-to-date on convention news?

USA TODAY is streaming the RNC from start to finish, and you can watch it here starting Monday, July 15:

Updates from the RNC will be available at gopconvention2024.com .

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

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Book Review: The Hate U Give// Angie Thomas : The Indiependent
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The Hate U Give Book Review
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Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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The Hate You Give (Yapinomics 101)

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The Hate U Give Book Review
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas is a look into what a lot of black communities go through in the United States. The speaker is a girl named Starr Carter who is sixteen and lives in a neighborhood called Garden Heights. Her friend, Khalil, has an altercation with the cops and ends up being shot. From that point on, there are protests at Garden ...
The Hate U Give book review: Angie Thomas's debut stuns
The Hate U Give is a didactic issues novel for teenagers. It is also a good book. Those two categories intersect only rarely, but The Hate U Give — a debut novel by Angie Thomas — manages the ...
The Hate U Give Enters the Ranks of Great YA Novels
As a book written for teens, The Hate U Give reminds readers of just how often racialized violence is carried out against that age group (Michael Brown was 18 when he was killed; Trayvon Martin ...
The Hate U Give
Summary. 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.
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The Hate U Give Review: An Engaging and Strong Plotline
The Hate U Give Review 'The Hate U Give' is a book that you're going to love. From its opening lines to the struggles Starr Carter had in the book, a reader is met with constant twists and turns. The issue of police brutality and racism is widely addressed. Other contemporary issues like racial profiles were widely discussed in the book.
A review of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reviewed by Emily McDonnell. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Balzer + Bray Hardcover, 464 pls, February 2017, ISBN-13: 978-0062498533. Encaptivated is the best word to describe my experience reading Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give.The plot was rich with brilliant character moments, heart-breaking scenes and incredible narration.. Justice, inequality and hope are all conveyed flawlessly in The ...
The Hate U Give
Review: "Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.". Riveting, emotionally fraught and heartbreakingly honest, The Hate U Give is one of the most powerful YA contemporaries I've read till date. You know, all the hype and attention this book has been getting, all those ...
The Hate U Give (Book Review)
Conclusion. Overall, The Hate U Give has everything that makes a story good. The characters are interesting and nuanced, and the plot is gripping. As readers, we root for Starr, grieving with her, learning with her, and cheering her on as she finds her voice. But what I loved most about this book is that it talks about important, timely issues ...
THE HATE U GIVE
The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white. Share your opinion of this book. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is a black girl and an expert at ...
The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give. by Angie Thomas. Publication Date: September 4, 2018. Genres: Fiction. Hardcover: 512 pages. Publisher: Balzer + Bray. ISBN-10: 0062872346. ISBN-13: 9780062872340. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give. 464p. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. Feb. 2017. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780062498533. Gr 8 Up -After Starr and her childhood friend Khalil, both black, leave a party together, they are pulled over by a white police officer, who kills Khalil. The sole witness to the homicide, Starr must testify before a grand jury that will decide ...
Book Review: "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
The most highly anticipated book of 2017, the debut YA novel from author Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give is a heartbreakingly gripping, honest, furious read that places injustice and inequality on the page and demands you laugh, cry, rage, and act now to show the world the meaning behind the movement that inspired it, that Black Lives Matter.
The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner
Amazon.com: The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner: 9780062498533: Thomas, Angie, Stenberg, ... — Horn Book (starred review) "Ultimately the book emphasizes the need to speak up about injustice. That's a message that will resonate with all young people concerned with fairness, and Starr's experience will speak to readers who know Starr ...
The Hate U Give Book Review
The Hate U Give Book Review. "Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.". The Hate U Give is a young adult novel whose protagonist, sixteen-year-old- Starr, witnesses the murder of her friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. She is shocked and deeply heart-broken, but ...
All Book Marks reviews for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Read Full Review >>. Rave Constance Grady, Vox. The Hate U Give is a didactic issues novel for teenagers. It is also a good book. Those two categories intersect only rarely, but The Hate U Give — a debut novel by Angie Thomas — manages the balancing act with aplomb ... It was probably inevitable that someone would write a YA novel about ...
The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been reviewed by Focus on the Family's marriage and parenting magazine. ... Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book's review does not constitute ...
The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. ... The Hate You Give is the type of book that will stop you in your tracks, take your breath, and make you evaluate yourself. The Hate You Give is riveting and an absolute must read.
Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer.
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Richard Brody reviews "The Hate U Give,"directed by George Tillman, Jr., and starring Amandla Sternberg, an explicitly political movie that advocates a manifestly progressive view of its subjects.
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The Hate U Give

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas review – racism and police brutality

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The Hate U Give (Book Review)

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