A review by sly_fox
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

adventurous informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

The Hate U Give tells the story of Starr Carter, a sixteen-year-old black girl, who attends a party in her neighbourhood, Garden Heights, which is dominated by two rival gangs, the King Lords and the Garden Disciples. Although Starr lives in Garden Heights she goes to a posh school near her uncle Carlos called Williamson prep. During the party, she meets her childhood friend, Khalil Harris. However, a gang shooting interrupts the party and Khalil offers to take Starr home. Shortly afterwards, they are pulled over by a white police officer. Khalil questions the reason for the stop and the officer orders him to get out of the car and to not move. However, Khalil opened the door because he was concerned for Starr. The police officer shoots Khalil and murders him. He did this because he thought that Kahlil was a drug dealer and ‘up to no good’. Starr fears that Khalil will not get the justice he deserves because he was black and the officer was white. At this point Starr is still too scared to even post something about it on social media. At Khalil 's funeral, a lawyer and activist named April Ofrah confirms Starr's concern, announcing that the police would not take legal action against the officer. Starr blames herself for the police's uselessness. Later that week, whilst at home, Starr's dad explains his interpretation of the rapper Tupac’s phrase "Thug Life" which supposedly stands for ‘The Hate U Give Little Infants F*ks everyone’ to Starr. He believes that Thug Life describes a system designed against black societies. It is only by speaking openly that black communities will begin to break the cycle. The book shows how at the beginning Starr is scared to stand up for what is right and is quite shy. However, by the end of the novel she finds herself on television and helping to organise protests for Kahlil, going against the social norms of her neighbourhood.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings