The Hate U Give

This was book was written three years ago, but it could have easily been written and published this year, in the past month. That's how (unfortunately) relevant its story has remained.

Starr is a Black high school student caught between two worlds: Garden Heights, a neighborhood where everybody knows and helps everyone out and has each others' backs, but is also riddled with drug dealing and gang wars; and Williamson Prep, a private high school in a rich, mostly white area of town with ignorance of what she experiences on a day-to-day basis at home.

Her worlds collide when she witnesses first-hand the murder of her childhood friend during a supposed routine traffic stop, and Starr has to not only decide whether or not she should speak up (speaking up could mean justice, but it could also endanger her and her family's life), but how to navigate everything in her world that is now different: her friendships in both worlds, her dynamic with her uncle who is also a Black police officer, her relationship with her white boyfriend, and her life both at school and at home.

Thomas' does an excellent job of weaving in common asked questions and arguments that surface whenever there is another instance of police brutality within the story itself, and it's in a way that's direct and to-the-point without taking attention away from the story at-hand. I also appreciate her inclusion of a diverse range of characters with varying viewpoints, and the special attention and care she took with her character's' names.

As a 30-year-old white woman, I can't express how much I appreciate this book. It is geared towards younger/teen readers (I admit—I had to Google a few terms, making me sometimes relate more with Starr's parents who ask what a Tik Tok is than Starr herself ;) but it's got a message for everyone, that everyone needs to—and should—hear.

I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in challenging their own biases and/or looking for books featuring BIPOC protagonists by BIPOC authors.