The Hate U Give

So heart-wrenching and excellent. It's a true YA novel without being saccharine and it deals with real problems in a hopeful way. Can't wait to see what Thomas writes next. #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks

I was absolutely blown away by Angie Thomas's powerful writing. Starr is one of the most fully realized and authentic characters I've ever come across in YA, and every single supporting character was realistic and expertly nuanced.The power punches that Thomas packs in relatively simple sentences, the way she's able to concisely and expertly capture such social complexity but distill it into a simple line of thought or dialogue, is nothing short of magic. Required reading for middle school to adult, and maybe even especially adults.

Some favorite examples:

p.186 “They act like I'm the official representative of the black race and they owe me an explanation. I think I understand though. If I sit out a protest, I'm making a statement, but if they sit out a protest, they look racist”

p. 245 “Funny. Slave masters thought they were making a difference in black people's lives too. Saving them from their ‘wild African ways.' Same shit, different century. I wish people like them would stop thinking that people like me need saving.”

I can't even put into words how amazing this book is.

It's real. It's timely. It's necessary.

This book is going to be the book of the year. I can feel it. You start the story off with a young girl who is more or less timid and doesn't want to speak out about what happened and then you end with a young girl who is empowered and unafraid.

Everyone has their “passion book.” My coworkers passion book is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The Hate U Give is mine. I borrowed a copy from my work, the library, and I fully intend on buying a hardcover copy for my collection.

If you read one novel this year, read this one. It's Angie Thomas's debut and it's incredibly thought provoking.


P.s. Expect to cry. Multiple times.

So good. I loved the characters - everyone in Starr's family all the way down to her classmates and neighbors were well-drawn, with small details that made them come to life. The book has a much bigger scope than just being “the Black Lives Matter YA book,” which is what I'd heard it described as pre-release. It is about that, of course, but also about gentrification and negotiating two different cultures and growing apart from old friends and so much more. Also, it's funny! Even late in the book as things come to a head, there were conversations that had me cracking up. (And then crying over the last few pages - seriously, it's so good.) Everyone should read this book.

Lives up to all the hype - heartbreaking, funny, real. Incredible book especially for a debut. Required reading for all!

4.25/5 stars.

The only thing I can say, wow, this was an amazing book

Whenever you have books that are really, really hyped, you run the risk that the hype might inflate everyone's expectations so much that the book has trouble living up to them.

That wasn't remotely the case with Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give.

I'd actually started The Hate U Give a little earlier than I'd originally planned because the other book I was reading wasn't grabbing me as much as I'd like. That wasn't an issue here—I was immediately sucked into Starr's voice, and world, and the characters of her life. The Hate U Give juggles several conflicts in Starr's life—the conflict inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, of course, with witnessing Khalil's murder, but also her half-brother and friend living with an abusive father—the neighborhood's most dangerous gang leader, a friend who gets into a dangerous situation, Starr juggling the disparity of going to a private school where she's one of the only Black kids and then going home to her neighborhood, that as dangerous as it can be is her home, her secretly dating a boy from her school, and her PTSD from witnessing her best friend's death. Not to mention the conflict of trying to decide whether to speak up or whether to hope no one outside of Starr's family ever learns she's the one who witnessed Khalil's death.

All of these conflicts in Starr's life may seem overwhelming—and for her, at times, they are—but the way they're written always makes sense as one conflict blends into another into another. Altogether it creates an incredibly compelling plot that keeps you turning the pages, because truly, there are no dull moments.

Then there's the voice. Starr's voice is so powerful, and honestly, The Hate U Give serves as an excellent example of why #ownvoices books are just better when it comes to portraying different marginalized groups. From the constant code-switching, to the cultural nuances, to even the way Starr thinks just felt so incredibly raw, like I was reading a real person's thoughts transcribed unfiltered onto the page. I had the undeniable sense while reading that this book wasn't written for me—and that was a good thing.

To say The Hate U Give is eye-opening and unforgettable is an understatement. I'm not at all surprised it debuted #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and I fully expect to see it win loads of awards, because this book is that powerful and that good.

All in all: read it. And any time you hear someone disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement, give them this book. I really do believe it could change hearts, minds, and lives.

Diversity note: Most of the characters, including the protagonist, Starr, are Black.

In the kidlit world, the accepted black narratives tend to focus on a few things: slavery, gang violence, or sports. But beyond that, the main point in all of them is black pain, which can come across as entertainment for some. Just look at how black kids getting shot and posted online are shared over and over.
Angie's book has gang violence, it has sports. There is black pain. The pain of seeing friends die in front of you, by the hands of white and black people. The pain of losing friends. The pain of wondering why my life doesn't matter. And why people destroy their neighborhoods when they're angry. WHY they're angry.
Hard choices, like letting go of people who don't serve you. And people who sacrifice in the name of love.
But what makes this book unique? There is also black JOY. So much black joy. Family, love, togetherness. In YA, disappearing parent syndrome is a thing. But Starr's parents are present–all up in her business even–and they are amazing. So much love in her family. So much love from her white boyfriend who doesn't understand everything... but he's trying.
I could hear the cadence of the voices. I got the inside jokes. It felt like home reading this book.
EVERYONE needs to read this book. It gives a glimpse into the complex emotions of being a black teen–heck, a black person–in a country, a world, that is often hostile towards us. Nothing in this book is simple. Just like nothing in our lives is simple. Layers of joy, pain, love, sweat, tears, laughter. Empowering, engaging, and very, very important.