Scan barcode
A review by bzliz
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
4.75
As long as people are getting killed by police, this book will remain relevant. Eventually some references will become dated but I hope future audiences will still see value in reading this. Bahni Turpin’s narration was phenomenal. She set the standard for what audiobooks should be.
Starr and her family are beautifully rich characters. There’s so much complexity to each of them (Sekani less so but he gets a pass for being the youngest) and I think it’s a great credit to Angie Thomas that she was able to make all of them so flawed and real and show their individual growth during an immensely stressful time in their lives.
The only reason this isn’t a five star read for me is that some of the Williamson scenes felt heavy handed and clunky. Hailey’s awful behavior was somehow too much and not enough at the same time. There was so much going on with everything that there was bound to be a low point. Some points are earned back for when Starr punches her in the face though.
Starr and her family are beautifully rich characters. There’s so much complexity to each of them (Sekani less so but he gets a pass for being the youngest) and I think it’s a great credit to Angie Thomas that she was able to make all of them so flawed and real and show their individual growth during an immensely stressful time in their lives.
The only reason this isn’t a five star read for me is that some of the Williamson scenes felt heavy handed and clunky. Hailey’s awful behavior was somehow too much and not enough at the same time. There was so much going on with everything that there was bound to be a low point. Some points are earned back for when Starr punches her in the face though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Murder, and Police brutality
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Racial slurs
Note about the use of racial slurs: I’ve tagged this because they are present however they are only said by POC, most notably during segments of song lyrics.