A review by haleyshort
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

challenging emotional inspiring 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

3.5

This book is written for kids and was published in 2017 - before COVID, before George Floyd, before the national uprisings that came in the summer of 2020. And before all of that work, energy, anger, and action faded in the face of complete institutional inaction. I read this as a story that I’ve been told is pretty good, but I don’t feel like I learned anything new from it. Maybe it’s because I’m older than the target audience, or because I spent my time in college reading Audre Lorde and Malcolm X and studying systems of inequality in the US. I’m white, I’m wildly privileged, I will never understand what it’s like to be one of these kids. But I won’t be quiet either. 
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