Social Media Icons

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

REVIEW: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas @BalzerandBray @angiecthomas

The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Balzer and Bray


🔥 Available NOW ðŸ”¥



Synopsis from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.


My Review:







I think at this point everyone knows what this book is about so I'll skip the short synopsis I usually do and go right into my thoughts on this book.

Racism is a horrible thing that has been around for ages and will not be going away any time soon.  As a halfbreed myself I've dealt with racism from both sides, the white side AND the Korean side so I definitely empathize to a lot of what is going on in this book.  Yes, I know it's different but I understood where Maya came from and I could at least get where Starr came from.  In any case, this is a socially relevant and beautifully written book.  The author does a fantastic job in building Starr's character and I like that the entire book was written from her point of view.

I felt the book was a bit long which made me put it down a few times as I thought some things were a bit repetitive.  While it is a beautifully written book in terms of the subject matter and what the author was bringing to readers, I felt some instances were a bit choppy.  I couldn't get into the flow in the first half but felt more into it towards the last parts.  The author brings in several different characters and they are certainly realistic.  I've definitely had my share of"minority alliances".  I do wish that some of the relationships had been more fleshed out.  Hailey, Maya and even Chris.  Starr's relationship with Chris felt a bit forced in my opinion so a little more interaction/background/something would've helped this for me. 

Worth the hype? Absolutely.  Maybe too hyped so I went into it expecting more?  Probably.  Completely relevant in this day and age.  Definitely a noteworthy book and I'm looking forward to the film version.!

★★★ 1/2

View all my reviews

About the Author:




Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Meyers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, was acquired by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins in a 13-house auction and will be published in spring 2017. Film rights have been optioned by Fox 2000 with George Tillman attached to direct and Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg set to star.




No comments

Leave a Comment