The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Product Details
Web ID: 14352329Book Review for the Hate U Give
This was a very interesting and enjoyable read. This book was like nothing I've ever read before and really shows you the perspective of a black teen facing tragedy in a bad area. Angie Thomas's novel The Hate U Give is a book about 16 year old Starr Carter who is a black teen that is growing up in not such a nice area. They see gang violence, drug dealing and shootings. She works at her dads store whenever she can and attends a rich white school after leaving her old school a bad area. Starr is the only black girl in her junior class which really shows that her parents want the best for her and for her to get the best education. This book had very good characterization and showed feeling very well even through the book. For example when she is at a party with all of her old school friends and you can tell she doesn't want to be there. After the party gets shot up Starr goes home with old friend Khalil, they get pulled over and Khalil gets shot three times by the cop. This is the start of when Starr’s life starts becoming crazy and very stressful. I disliked the story when Starr was going to put the whole thing behind her and not try to fight this incident because I feel like it was important for her to not just have this brushed away by her community. This book enabled me to step into the shoes of a 16 year old black girl who saw her childhood best friend shot simply because he was young, black, and in a neighborhood with a bad reputation. It also enabled me to see that the lives behind the news headlines are so much more complicated than I am often led to believe, but Angie Thomas never did any of that in a way that placed all the blame on the police. The blame was definitely there on the cop but rightfully so. Starr also acknowledges that there are still a lot of good police officers who don't agree with the actions of their colleagues, and although she helped me to understand the sentiment behind rioting, she also acknowledges that the damage done by rioting is usually to her own community only. And underneath it all, Angie Thomas makes it clear that Starr's community had its own problems from within that were not the fault of the police at all. There are two sides to every story but it still does not make the cops actions okay.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Enjoyable Read
This was a fairly enjoyable read. There was a lot of drama, along with good characterization, and the sorts of questions and growing up that one expects with YA. YA is not my cup of tea. I recognize that it's a work of fiction highlighting an unusual time in the life of the main character, Starr; however, I felt like there were moments when it was just too much and the suspension of disbelief, for me, started to fail. The characterizations were pretty decent, especially when it came to describing what characters did or said. When it came to rich descriptions of people and places, I felt there was a failure, and things were detrimentally underspecified. Also, for as rich an interior life as Starr has, I wish there would have been more depth, especially with her struggles. She has reactions, such as crying and throwing up, to the tragedies, injustice, and misery around her, but then she gets over things quickly, without much discussion. Over and over, she confronts issues such as being brave, speaking out, being true to herself, finding her identity, etc., and she has a few hiccups, and then overcomes everything in her path without much more ado, culminating in an iconic Banksy-esque lobbying back of a tear gas canister. I wish there would have been more focus on her struggling, failing, getting back up, and trying again, with some more ambiguous outcomes, at least in part. In a lot of ways, Starr is very naïve, which makes sense, I suppose, with how this is a YA book. There were a few issues that I wish the story would have touched on. The first being Black capitalism. Starr lives in the “ghetto” of Garden Heights but goes to an expensive private school on the other side of a largeish city. Needless to say, nobody else in her neighborhood has that opportunity for total-life advancement. She doesn’t need to live there and, indeed, her mom constantly wants to leave. Her family has the financial means to live in a better neighborhood, but her father has issues with his own identity and feels that they need to live in a dangerous place because it’s somehow more “authentic.” The author touches on this briefly, towards the end, but doesn’t go into needed detail. In fact, Starr is middle class and essentially LARPing as “hood” and this may be the actual source of some of her issues with authenticity. Her father failed upwards, more or less, into a successful business and her mother is a hard working nurse. Their house was given to them by Starr’s maternal grandmother. They are very unlike other people in Garden Heights, such as Khalil and his family and, in other ways, Kenya and her family. They have money and access to resources that they are choosing not to use essentially for the aesthetics of it. Very briefly, at certain points, characters note how capitalism oppresses them, but then go on to extol the virtues of Black capitalism and Black-owned businesses, as if they will save them instead of oppressing them. I am disappointed in this weak and obscure class analysis. Especially as it ties directly into the causes of police brutality, systemic racism in policing, and the decay of urban neighborhoods. It also didn’t reveal anything about how inner-city gangs are a toxic form of Black capitalism, nor did it address how capitalism causes gangs and how the police and gangs use each other.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Really great book!
The hate u give, written by Angie Thomas. The book the hate you give is a story about police brutality, racism and gang affiliation. The book is a novel. This book talks about Starr Carter’s experience as a black teen in the world. Starr Carter starts off by meeting up with a childhood friend of hers Khalil Harris. Here and Khalil are having fun until they’re pulled over, Khalil gets escorted out of the car and is shot dead. Starr is in court and is worried djustice won’t be served for khalil. When the police don’t arrest 115 this leads to protests for days. During an argument Starr's dad Maverick gets the cops called and is un rightfully tackled to the ground and searched. Starr decided she won’t be silent anymore. During the court case Starr speaks up about Khalil's drug deal with the kings The next court date, king throws a brick and fires shots into the courtroom. 115 is still not arrested and Starr and her friends start rioting, she ends up leading the following protests. King throws a Molotov into a store and lights it on fire, Starr and her friends get out in time. King is caught and arrested. After all these events Starr wants to continue to write for Justine on behalf of Khalil and other black people killed by police brutality. Personally I really enjoyed this book. It really shows how bad police brutality is and how much it affects us and the world. I recommend to everybody that you read this book.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Must read!
The Hate U Give was honestly such an incredible book and quite the eye-opener. As someone who hardly reads books that are considered YA, I found this book sincerely enthralling, even with the categorization. This book is also great for older readers, or those who normally diverge from the category. I wanted to write a spoiler-free review and just give praise and general thoughts on this great read. Angie Thomas did a beautiful job at connecting you to her characters and forcing you to grow attached to them. The entire book I was so invested in their stories and the plot, and tore through the pages. As this is a coming-of-age story, it was full of real teenage experiences, some more light-hearted, like friendships and boyfriends, and some much more intense, like police violence and racism. I think it’s important to mention how well she wrote the more serious topics while not making it as intense as it is for a YA audience. As she was conscientious of this, she was still able to educate her readers and introduce traumatic events. This book does a great job of portraying grief and the aftermath of difficult experiences and had my heart aching for the main character, Starr. The Hate U Give was FULL of emotion. I felt my own emotions shift drastically throughout the book along with what the characters were feeling, and by the time I got to the end of this book I was completely engrossed in it. I honestly did not want it to end as it was so so good. The only critique I could possibly give this book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. I enjoyed it nonetheless, but I do think it could have been stretched out further and been given more time to go into detail. However, the plotline for the ending was still very good. Overall, The Hate U Give is an unforgettable book that is perfect for readers of all ages. It is an immensely entertaining read, while also being a great form of education on such important topics. This book does a great job of informing the audience about racism, police violence, stereotypes, and more, all while adding light and fun personal touches. Angie Thomas is an incredibly talented author who uses great forms of detail and impeccable word choice. I absolutely recommend you give this powerful book a try!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
SO GOOD
Inspirational, well written, empowering, so raw 100% recommend.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Very Insightful!
I had a great time reading this book as it has a politically relevant topic as well as it being thrilling and easy to read. This book had deep and complex themes while remaining relatively simple and with good dialogue and characters. Thomas does an excellent job of creating characters who can be understood as well as sympathized with easily. Despite the books sad aura for most of the book it still has bright and warm moments where we can feel characters starting to look up and that the world is getting better for them. Starr is a teenage girl trapped between two worlds, and whether or not your situation is exactly the same as her or it differs, everyone can relate to having to hide the real you sometimes and how struggling it can be when your lives intermix. If you want a serious book that tackles serious problems in the world then I recommend this book to you. After the death of her friend Starr has to fight for him but doesn't want to risk her family and is in a tough position. Starr has to constantly choose which battles to fight and which to be quiet. Starr is similar to all of us whether or not our struggle is as severe or not as hers. Overall this book is a great read and can help you grasp a better understanding of the struggles faced by African American people in poorer neighborhoods across the United States.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This is a very great story with the plot.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is one of the best books I have ever read the story starts out with the author explaining who Starr Carter our main character is and how she lives in a very violent neighborhood but goes to a private school and has to basically hide everything about herself. The book starts out very hot when close to the beginning of the story her best friend Khalil Harris is killed at the hands of a police officer. Starr now has to fight for her friend but also keep herself like she was before at school. This book made me love it so much because of how fast it starts. It pulls you in too the story and makes you not want to put the book down. I don’t have any personal relation to this story and I still somehow felt how they all felt in the story. I have never read a book like this and probably never will again. 10/10
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A powerful, authentic read!
Starr lives in a rough part of town and after one of her best friends gets shot in a drive by shooting when they’re ten, Starr’s parents have her attend a private school that’s safer. Now Starr is sixteen and she witnesses her other childhood friend getting fatally shot by a police officer. Her friend did nothing to provoke the shooting. This is a powerful novel about much more than racism. It’s also about choices, bravery, integrity and helping others. This book has a lot of swearing which is authentic to the lifestyle of the character’s surroundings but the message of empowerment makes it a must read. 5 stars for a novel that will stick with me!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com