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A review by wynonnar
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5.0
Angie Thomas writing style is what really carried this book into a 5-star rating. I loved the characters and their growth throughout the novel. While Star had always dealt with the problems in her neighborhood, a separate layer to this novel is added when she has privileged friends and a significant other that couldn't possibly understand her struggle when they go to a prep school and live in safe neighborhoods.
The family dynamics explained a lot about how black families raise their kids vastly different from white families. Another aspect of the family storyline that showed another layer is that sometimes people in bad situations do things someone from another background might feel is stupid or unwarranted. A good example of this was when Star's dad took a plea for a gangbanger because he knew that it would get him out of the gang eventually being able to provide a better life for his family. I don't know a lot of privileged families that can say they would do the same because they will never have to face that issue.
There are a lot of layers to this novel and the characters within it. But it showed how white people are so quick to turn a blind eye to a problem they have never had to face, especially with how Hailey reacted to the stories online and in the media about Khalil, she just assumed that because he was a drug dealer that he was automatically a bad person that deserved what happened to him.
It shows that you need to look deeper into an issue before you assume that the person you view as bad is bad. I don't think it will ever be easy to completely understand the struggle that black people face and they don't have to explain themselves to anyone but I like how books like "The Hate U Give" and "Dear Martin" are taking on these subjects in a way that will show young people of a new generation how black people view the world.
The family dynamics explained a lot about how black families raise their kids vastly different from white families. Another aspect of the family storyline that showed another layer is that sometimes people in bad situations do things someone from another background might feel is stupid or unwarranted. A good example of this was when Star's dad took a plea for a gangbanger because he knew that it would get him out of the gang eventually being able to provide a better life for his family. I don't know a lot of privileged families that can say they would do the same because they will never have to face that issue.
There are a lot of layers to this novel and the characters within it. But it showed how white people are so quick to turn a blind eye to a problem they have never had to face, especially with how Hailey reacted to the stories online and in the media about Khalil, she just assumed that because he was a drug dealer that he was automatically a bad person that deserved what happened to him.
It shows that you need to look deeper into an issue before you assume that the person you view as bad is bad. I don't think it will ever be easy to completely understand the struggle that black people face and they don't have to explain themselves to anyone but I like how books like "The Hate U Give" and "Dear Martin" are taking on these subjects in a way that will show young people of a new generation how black people view the world.