Now here’s a book that I wish I had read sooner! The Hate U Give is, I believe, a very important book, and I wish for everybody to read it.
What it’s about. . .
The Hate U Give is a story that follows our main character Starr, a black teenager who was the sole witness to the shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil. He and Starr were coming home from a party when they were pulled over by a white cop, and Khalil was shot unarmed. This immediately made national headlines and was followed by a series of riots and protests. Starr, meanwhile, battles with this searing dilemma: to speak up about what really happened that night or to stay quiet–the answer to which could not only affect her life but the entire community. Angie Thomas’ debut novel is one that you definitely shouldn’t miss!
What I loved about it. . .
I love this book because it has such an important message. I like how the author was just so honest and straightforward in addressing the issues of racism and police violence in the story. She took her time in including and describing scenes that helped me understand the seriousness of what was going on.
I also like how she makes the story feel current. She saw to it that these issues don’t feel like a thing of the past but that they are still very much evident in our time today.
The story line was quite simple and easy to follow. It was a big help to me because it’s my first time read a book about black characters. Although it was kind of hard to get into at first because there were certain terms and slang that were unfamiliar to me, (I honestly felt lost at certain parts) I still had fun learning about black people’s lives. It was an easy read, yet it was also a provoking and compelling one.
The characters were my favorite part of the story. It was easy for me to be drawn to them. Angie Thomas’ selection and description of the characters were excellent! I loved how everybody played an important role. Even the side characters had a story to tell. All of them contributed to what the story was really trying to put across.
I learned a lot from this book! I was reminded about how we shouldn’t be too quick to make assumptions and to draw conclusions without getting to know the real story. This book also spoke touchingly about a person’s true worth despite all the weaknesses and mistakes he may have made. You also get a lot about second chances, forgiveness, courage, letting go, and what it really means to be true to oneself. It was just beautiful!
Over all, this book was heart-wrenching and painfully sad in many aspects, but the author did not fail to let the reader see the good amidst all of it.
What I didn’t really like . . .
There were times when I wished that the pacing were a bit faster. It didn’t steadily progress toward the climax, in my opinion. It sometimes felt dragged on, and I felt a bit impatient because I already wanted to know how things would turn out.
Now, I don’t know how it feels to be traumatized because I’ve never experienced anything like what Starr had, so I’m not really sure if I should include this. But, here’s the thing. She saw her friend die. Right before her eyes. As I was reading the book, I was somewhat expecting more details and descriptions on how Khalil’s murder affected Starr emotionally. There were indications, of course, but I just thought there would be more. It would have helped me understand Starr better, emotionally.
My rating . . .
I ended up giving this book 4.5 stars because, again, I believe it’s such an important book. And I just want to share it with everybody!
Now, for Spoiler-y section (if you haven’t read the book yet, you can stop here) . . .
I mentioned a while ago that the characters were my favorite part of the story. I just really wanna talk about them a little bit and tell you guys why I love them so much!
Starr
First of all, I just love her name. Haha. Anyway, I love her character because I got to see her develop and change in the story. She started out as this young, teenage girl who tried to maintain two different personalities–one when she’s in her black neighborhood Garden Heights and another when she’s in Williamson, a high school mostly attended by white students. She tried her best to keep both of these worlds apart for so long, but later in the story she finally gathered up the courage to be true to her real self. Her internal struggle also prevented her from speaking up about Khalil’s death right away. But I’m glad she overcame all of that eventually.
Starr’s parents Lisa and Maverick
Oh, how I love these two! They’re the best.
Lisa was an awesome mom. She’s better known as Momma in the story. Absolutely loving, sweet, and caring to her family, but she was also strict and quite scary sometimes. Like the time when Seven knew he and Starr were in trouble and said they’d move to Mexico to escape Momma’s wrath, but they knew Mexico ain’t far enough. I was cracking up.
Lisa was also full of wisdom. It was from her that Starr learned about forgiveness and also about letting go. When Starr was wondering whether she should keep Hailey in her life, Momma helped her know what to do. Lisa forgave Maverick despite what he did in the past, and she valued their marriage more than his mistakes. Lisa has a beautiful heart. She loved Seven completely and treated him as her own.
I also loved Maverick’s character. He was better known as Big Mav and Daddy in the story. He was an example of what it means to be a new person. He had given up his old life for his family. Being a daddy meant everything to him. And even though he loved Garden Heights and wasn’t interested in moving, he sacrificed his own desires for his family’s safety. A daddy would do anything for his family. Maverick did.
I also admired him for what he did to help DeVante. Kudos to you, Big Mav!
Starr’s whole family (Seven and Sekani included)
Starr’s family was like an oasis in the dessert. Despite all the violence and the danger that surrounded her, Starr found respite in her family. Their relationship was so strong. This was important to me because it just shows that despite all the prejudice and the negative misconceptions that black people get, this proves that they’re just like all of us–people striving to be happy with our families.
Uncle Carlos
He, to me, was kind of like the bridge that held both sides together. He was a cop. Khalil was killed by a cop, and the cops were abusive in the story. But Uncle Carlos’ character maintained the fact that not all cops, in reality, were bad.
Chris
Chris was such a respectable man. He was Starr’s white boyfriend. His relationship with Starr was so important in the story. Even though their relationship was tested lots of times (people staring at them with judging looks, issues about Starr dating a white boy, etc.), Chris remained loyal to Starr and proved that there shouldn’t be anything wrong with inter-racial relationships.
DeVante
DeVante was my favorite character! Khalil’s life was short-lived. He was dead for the most part of the story. But because of DeVante, I got to understand Khalil’s situation better. DeVante was in a similiar problem as Khalil was when he was alive. They were motivated by the same reasons to sell drugs, and both of them wanted to get out from that kind of life. DeVante’s character helps readers understand why sometimes people do bad things. Sometimes they don’t have a choice. They do it for the people they love. Starr’s family did to DeVante what they couldn’t do to Khalil anymore. They helped him have a better life. What happened to DeVante showed what could have also happened to Khalil. He would have had a chance.
Favorite scenes . . .
My favorite scene was when Starr’s family was having game night. It was too perfect. I just wanted to freeze that moment and wished it were always like that.
The saddest scenes to me were, of course, when Khalil got shot and when Starr and her Momma were talking about the past. It’s when I found out that Khalil and Starr actually had feelings for each other. I was so heartbroken to think about the what-if’s and the could-have-been’s. It was a love that could-have-been. But even if it weren’t Starr, Khalil could have been happy with someone. He could have had a better life. But that’s the whole point of the story. It’s showing us what racism and police brutality and violence do.
— The End —
What Annie Read 