Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

180 reviews

kashrae99's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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steveatwaywords's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

So much has been written, and justifiably, about the social, political, and emotional impact of this book, and I can only underscore it. It is, at its front, a work of significance for its moment (and those before and after it), and so it exists and works differently from what we might call traditional literature: it is as much counter-narrative and manifesto as it is a novel.

I'll highlight a few areas which stood out for me, though, on the reading side of the book:

--A protagonist delicately placed between several conflicting ideologies and spaces, young enough to be poorly-equipped to navigate them expertly, yet also young enough to develop genuine agency and righteousness. I love a flawed protagonist who muscles (even stumbles) towards justice.

--Characters who--despite everything they directly witness--defy justice and sensibility for their own ideas of safety and power. Ironically and importantly, a comfortable white girl and an older black gang leader serve equally here.

--Families who define themselves--despite marriages, career, and class differences--by their relationships to one another, and that these bonds make them strong.

--Minor characters who themselves visibly fall into completely different positions of internal conflict from our protagonist and Khalil, who themselves struggle (at times unseen) with the decisions they must make.

Thomas, therefore, has crafted a microbrew of American race politics at a time when it was/is sorely needed. Does it sometimes miss a beat, have a stilted moment, too-handily arrange a scene? Remember what purpose the book serves. For me, the largest criticism I have of this work is hardly its fault: that the story is so "timely" (from tech to vocabulary) that the problems it addresses may tragically outlast its currency. 

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emma_b_rhodes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Been so long since I've read YA and wow i love teen girls!! Wish there were books like this when I was a teen (maybe there were and I just wasnt reading them).

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snipinfool's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Starr Carter witnessed the fatal shooting of a childhood friend, Khalil, when they were stopped by the police. Khalil was unarmed and neither he nor Starr had any idea why the car he was driving was pulled over. It was not right that Khalil was dead. The police, after conducting their investigation, found that the officer was doing his job and would not be arrested or sanctioned. It contradicted what Starr saw that night and she wanted to tell in detail what she witnessed. She hoped to stay anonymous, but the story soon made local and national news. People started to protest. Starr and her family received some pressure from the police and some members of a local gang to stay silent. Starr was caught between helping her friend receive justice for his murder and keeping herself and her family safe. It was going to be very difficult for her to do either and almost impossible for her to accomplish both.

Sometimes, when books affect me deeply, I have the most trouble putting my thoughts into words. The Hate U Give was one such book. This was a powerful story. This could have been a story seen in the news many times in real life. Angie Thomas did an excellent job of writing this book. Her words brought the story to life. The scene where Starr and her group were trying to get through the blocked neighborhood roads to her house effectively described the chaos, panic, desperation, and fear they were feeling. My heart was racing as I read of their struggles. Starr was a great main character. She was well written, and her actions reflected what one would expect of a sixteen-year-old. Starr had a great strength of character deciding to push for a detailed statement on the events of the night Khalil was murdered. Her parents, Lisa and Maverick, were very supportive and were two of my favorite characters after Starr. This story reflects the real life for a lot of people. That needs to change.

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dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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pacifickat's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

The audio version of this book narrated by Bahni Turpin is masterful. I only wish I had read it sooner.

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trashgobby's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas has been on my shelf for a long time, and I’m so glad that I was finally able to read it. I really enjoyed the complexity of the plot and the realities that the characters had to face throughout the book. I think that in terms of education, this book easily demonstrates the way race relations, police brutality, and justice unfold in this country. Though this book is a few years old at this point, it still accurately portrays the harmful views many people in the U.S. still hold, and deconstructs them in an educational and eye-opening way. The only way to correct the injustices is to break the cycle, and this book points that out in many different instances. From racially insensitive comments, to outright murder, this book makes the cases where we, as a society, can learn and grow evident. The injustices pointed out by this book should enrage you, and it should make you even more angry that it is still happening in real life, not just on the page. I’m thankful for any book that can make me uncomfortable, because it is in the discomfort that we can learn and grow, which is why books like this are so important for all readers, regardless of identities. If you haven’t had a chance to read this book, I highly recommend giving it a read.

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paraparx15's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0


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