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A review by chelseatm
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5.0
4.5
This book didn't always grip me and sometimes I wasn't sure what the purpose of the story was (what was I looking for, what was the character's arc etc) but it was powerful. By the conclusion, it was obvious what the purpose and arc were.
While the writing and the protagonist were in the YA genre, the story and gravity of the message was very adult.
It begins with the shooting of an unarmed black teen and follows the aftermath for the witness, Starr Carter. During the story, the characters were tackle many issues such as white normalization (normal names vs abnormal), the divisiveness of a person's character when they have to deal with different personas and representing their race, and the justification that the public may give if an unarmed black person is shot.
It was very powerful and despite being passionate about this issue, there were things I hadn't considered. If you are white, you will need to check your privilege at the door. You will hear about a different experience that you may not understand, but it's not for you to judge or to determine the accuracy. As you read, just as in Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, you just need to accept the characters' experiences. That is their truth to present, not yours to discern.
This is a great book to be introducing to young people and I wish we had this growing up to help expand our awareness of others. I really hope this book has a big impact with many ripples. Highly recommended.
This book didn't always grip me and sometimes I wasn't sure what the purpose of the story was (what was I looking for, what was the character's arc etc) but it was powerful. By the conclusion, it was obvious what the purpose and arc were.
While the writing and the protagonist were in the YA genre, the story and gravity of the message was very adult.
It begins with the shooting of an unarmed black teen and follows the aftermath for the witness, Starr Carter. During the story, the characters were tackle many issues such as white normalization (normal names vs abnormal), the divisiveness of a person's character when they have to deal with different personas and representing their race, and the justification that the public may give if an unarmed black person is shot.
It was very powerful and despite being passionate about this issue, there were things I hadn't considered. If you are white, you will need to check your privilege at the door. You will hear about a different experience that you may not understand, but it's not for you to judge or to determine the accuracy. As you read, just as in Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, you just need to accept the characters' experiences. That is their truth to present, not yours to discern.
This is a great book to be introducing to young people and I wish we had this growing up to help expand our awareness of others. I really hope this book has a big impact with many ripples. Highly recommended.