A review by kibbles15
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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

3.0

I have mixed feelings about this book.  There is way too much language, I realize the author is being authentic to the location, but it still bothers me.   The story moves at a good pace, and the author is keeping me interested enough to continue despite the language.  

While I agree that police brutality and racism are subjects that should be addressed in our country, I feel the author is taking it to the extreme. Whether intentionally or not, the author villainizes all non-minority Caucasians (especially cops and rich white females) and spreads the idea of “White guilt” and Systematic Racism.   She does mention the high crime in the area by black individuals, but passes it off as a result of past black oppression and the members of the community not having a choice in their actions.  There is always a choice, sometimes it is a hard choice, but there is always a choice.  No one is responsible for another person's actions. I realize that it is more complicated than that…but there is always a choice.

Also, the main character is a bit racist herself,  she behaves differently with her white friends than her black friends because she assumes she can’t be herself without judgment.  She didn’t even give the “white” friends a chance to get to know her true self because she “assumes” that people at the school would not like “Ghetto” Starr.   Isn’t assuming that someone will automatically have a racist judgmental attitude toward you, based on the sole fact that the person is born with white skin racist in itself?  That being said, I do understand the fear the character has after witnessing two murders and as a result becoming a target by both the black and white populations in the area.  I would definitely have PTSD after something like that and the actions of the character are consistent with that fear.  Like I said, I have mixed feelings.
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