Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

187 reviews

snipinfool's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Drug abuse and Domestic abuse

dragon_s_hoard's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Blood, Murder, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Grief, Violence, Cursing, Child death, Toxic friendship, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Addiction, Classism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

bookdragonkatie's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Physical abuse, Bullying, Addiction, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse

pacifickat's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Racism, Toxic relationship, Classism, Child abuse, Blood, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content

Minor: Confinement and Alcoholism

PTSD, guilt, shame, fear, gang violence, threats of violence

trashgobby's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Police brutality

Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Sexism, Misogyny, Classism, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Violence, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, and Emotional abuse

taliatalksbooks's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Violence, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Murder, Police brutality, Death, Physical abuse, Child death, and Racism

paraparx15's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, and Violence

Also mentions Harry Potter and Gang related activity is a huge bit of the book.

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny informative 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, Classism, Alcohol, Child death, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Blood, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Infidelity

a_novi's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective 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

4.0

This book is emotional and extremely relevant. As someone who has PTSD and personal trauma regarding violent trauma and police I found this book extremely relatable in many ways. The way the author describes grief and trauma and how flashbacks of traumatic events can sneak into your thoughts during normal life, the way that

the funeral for Khalil and the visions of him bleeding in the street, visions of Natasha’s body dropping after being shot, the nightmares, all of it

is all very accurate and can definitely be very triggering. I recommend this book for people who have trauma with police but please just be aware that it can be very triggering, I also recommend this book for anyone that has trouble understanding why people don’t trust the police, fear them, or even hate them, because this book could be very eye opening for you. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racism, Vomit, Child death, Cursing, Violence, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Death, Gun violence, Addiction, Classism, Blood, and Hate crime

Moderate: Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

gekristia's review against another edition

challenging hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

This book was heart wrenching and beautiful. This should be required reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Violence, Racism, Toxic friendship, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, Cursing, and Hate crime