Tuesday, April 3, 2018

The Hate U Give

Angie Thomas

I loved this book. It is the story of Starr, a teenage black girl who lives two lives. One is her home life, the life of her upbringing and family. She lives in the neighbor hood, the bad part of town. Her dad is a former gang member who did 3 years in prison as a way to get out. The other life is her school life. Her parents sent Starr to a suburban, wealthy, private school after she witnessed her best friend being shot and killed as a 10 year old. Her two lives mean that Starr has developed two different personas, each appropriate for one of her lives. This story picks up with Starr as the witness (she was the passenger) when her best childhood friend is shot and killed by police in a 'routine' traffic stop. So not only do we get to navigate the current reality of police shooting and racial tension from the perspective of a young black woman, we also get her perspective on life, culture, and how to be a teenager. Thomas does a fabulous job with her storytelling and I feel enriched having read this.

4 stars (out of 4)

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