The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

                You may not be ready for this book. I thought I was ready and yet I still got punched in the gut. I heard all of the rave around THUG before it came out. I've had it for months and couldn't bring myself to read it. Now that I have I must recommend it to you. Before you read it though let me say that this is about as real as it gets. You may not want to read the words written on this page. They may make you feel some kind of way about race and privilege and police brutality. It may make you extremely uncomfortable. But it comes from a place that resonates with an experience many people go through. I know because I've gone through these emotions. The anger, the loss, the fear. I've felt the way this main character felt. I could have been the main character. And so could half of the people I've grown up with. Now it’s time for the review.

                Starr is from Garden Heights. She knows about gangs and living in the ghetto. She goes to a private school almost an hour away where she can’t be the same Starr she is in Garden Heights. She can’t be "the ghetto black girl" because in her school she is one of the only black girls. One of the only girls to step foot in a ghetto. Her life changes the night her best friend dies. The night they get pulled over after leaving a party and she sees three bullets from a police officer exit his body. They label him a thug, a drug dealer, a banger. And now as the only witness she has to defend her friend from the crime of trying to get her home safely. Her voice becomes her weapon and as the only witness she must speak in defense of herself and defense of her friend.

                I feel wholly inadequate writing that blurb. It doesn’t touch on the complexity of this novel at all. It's more than a story about a police shooting. It's more than a story of a teenager losing his life. It's about a young girl coming to grips with the reality of who she is and how her life is valued. Starr is one of the most well written characters I have ever come across. She has so much depth. She is hilarious and yet very introspective. Her view of the world changes after this lived experience and seeing her develop and come to grips with reality is beautiful. Her family and friends reflect the differences in Starr's reality and each of them having varying levels of depth that are shown throughout the book.

                Thomas made a really smart decision when she chose not to place this book in real world location. These events could take place anywhere! Her world building is a reflection of society and all its many facets. She didn’t need to name an actual place. If you lived anywhere like this you automatically recognize it. If you haven't lived in a place reminiscent of Garden Heights, her world building is so powerful that it doesn't matter. You are transported there with her detailed descriptions and Starr's narrative.

               The reality of this book stings, like opening up an old wound. And as funny as this book is, as real as these characters are, the reality of this situations hurt. Thomas was able to create a book that in fiction reveals the truth of what is happening and what has been happening for decades. Reading this book brings so much home. I devoured her words. I have to give this book 5 out of 5 stars. The Hate U Gives reveals the reality we cannot hide from.