A review by marissasa
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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

5.0

This book is so raw and real, it felt like you were listening to an actual 16-year-old Black girl recount her thoughts and feelings during one of the hardest times in her life to you in person. Angie Thomas did an incredible job developing Starr and the supporting cast of characters, because they all felt layered and complex the way that humans actually are. Everything about Starr from her love of basketball and Fresh Prince to her insecurities about betraying Khalil and her feelings about being split into two versions of herself depending on whether she was in Garden Heights or at Williamson made her believable and real. Watching her struggle and grow throughout the course of the story makes you feel deeply, empathize, and root for her. It doesn't shy away from any of the ugly truths about racism, police brutality, domestic violence, class differences, drugs, gun violence, biased media coverage, or what it means to experience all of it as a young person. I am glad this book exists and that it in itself is emphasizing the importance of one of the major themes: using your voice as a weapon. As the last few pages of the book shows, Starr's voice is the voice of so many Black people both today and throughout history who have watched and suffered the loss of loved ones at the hands of police brutality, and it is one that everyone needs to pay attention to, listen to, amplify, and support. 
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