BOOK REVIEW: The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas
I've read a lot this summer. I didn't sleep, write, or blog much, but I read eight books in eight weeks. I didn't love every book I read (sadly, some of my highly anticipated reads turned out to be disappointing), but there were a special few that stuck with me.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was one of my favorite reads of the summer. It had come highly recommended to me by several people, so I was really looking forward to picking it up. It did not disappoint.Here's the blurb from the dust jacket:
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor black 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, Khalil's death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr's best friend at school suggest he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protesters take to the streets and Starr's neighborhood becomes a war zone. 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 destroy her community. It could also endanger her life.
This story was so well told, and so well written. I'm always disappointed when I read books that everyone's raving about only to discover that the writing is poor. That was not the case with THUG. Angie Thomas has crafted an excellent story that is both engaging and hard-hitting.
One of my favorite parts about this book were the characters. They all felt like real people with real voices. I could hear them talking so clearly in my head. I especially liked Starr's mom and dad, Lisa and Maverick. I loved their relationship: the way they talked to each other, joked with each other, fought with each other. All of it felt like an honest, real marriage. And they were great parents. I appreciated how Starr struggled (as we all do) with living under their authority, but Starr and her parents also had a mutual respect for each other. While their family was in some ways very complicated, I enjoyed getting to see the way their love for each other affected how they dealt with the crises they faced.
I also really appreciated seeing the progression of Starr's relationship with her boyfriend, Chris. Chris is white, but the race difference is not a problem for them...at first. Tension arises between them when Starr begins to wrestle with both grief and anger at what has happened and the position she is now in, while Chris is confused about why it has affected their relationship. The conversations between Starr and Chris are inspiring because over the course of the story we get to see Starr emboldened to find her voice and stand up for what is right, and Chris willing to humble himself and take on the role of learner and supporter. I think when it comes to talking about race, it can be tempting for so many of us white people to say, "But I'm not racist! So I'm not part of the problem!" Chris' example is an excellent reminder that we can show we care by stop being defensive and taking the time to listen and learn from those who have experienced life differently than us.
The Hate U Give does an incredible job of handling a sensitive topic. As a thirty-something white lady, I'm not sure that I was Angie Thomas' target audience, but I really appreciated being able to read a story like this that was written by a black woman. Over the years I have learned more and more about how my whiteness has given me privilege and protection in ways that I never thought about or realized. I grew up believing that I could always trust the police. If I see a police car now, I check how fast I'm driving because I don't want to get a ticket, not because I fear what might happen if I get pulled over. Khalil and his death may be a work of fiction, but far too many real lives have ended under heartbreakingly similar circumstances. THUG, and especially the character of Khalil, reminds readers that the real life victims are actual human beings, not caricatures, and their lives - and senseless deaths - matter.
So what is my verdict? YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It's not only important social commentary, it's a really great read.