The Hate U Give ♦ Angie Thomas | Review
Because The Hate U Give is the most impactful book I’ve read in a very long time, it was kind of a challenge to get the right words for this review. As you read this review about this book, which is pertinent and instructive, sadly similar events pictured by this book are happening day in and out all over the world.

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.

The Hate U Give ♦ Angie Thomas

Opinion

At the beginning of this review I have to say, as a German reader I had my difficulties with the dialogs (slang) at first and I always wanted to correct the characters with their grammar. But because I did want to have the original experience of the story, I had to adapt. After a couple of pages in, the flow of reading caught in. I can’t tell how the slang was translated in the German version, or if there was any at all.

This book was influenced by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, which gained traction after sixteen-year-old Starr saw her best friend, a black kid who was unarmed, slain by a police officer. Because there is hardly to never any justice for these senseless tragedies, Starr is afraid to speak out and struggles with what to do all the time.

Being uncomfortable is essential for change, and That Hate U Give will make many people feel that way because it is true and honest. And a lot of people’s lives are going to be changed by this book. I sincerely hope that everyone who reads this would begin to educate themselves about the issues facing the world today and stop ignoring them. The Hate U Give is a work of genius that will be a frequent source of inspiration for years to come. Books are the most effective and impactful tool we have.

The fact that the cops won’t automatically perceive me as a threat merely because of the color of my skin also makes me feel privileged. And as a white person, privileged I am. I know I won’t ever have to consider the potential that a routine traffic stop could become more hazardous just because a police officer becomes tense. I used to take that for granted without being aware of it. But after reading The Hate U Give, I won’t be able to keep doing so.

Bottom Line

One of the most significant movements taking place nowadays was examined in The Hate U Give, which then presented it to the world’s youth and also older generations as myself, as a story. That present ended up being one of the most popular books in recent memory. The movie adaption is as powerful as this book is. I recommend reading and watching both.

About Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas (* 20. September 1988) ist eine US-amerikanische Autorin, die vor allem für ihr Werk The Hate U Give (2017) bekannt ist. Ihr zweiter Roman für junge Erwachsene, On the Come Up, wurde am 25. Februar 2019 veröffentlicht.

Source: Wikipedia

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