Book Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Lately I've seen this novel everywhere and everyone has been raving about it, so I was really curious to discover for myself what all the hype was about. Here are my thought about it:

Title: The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Published: March 13th 2017 by Walker Books

Amazon | Amazon UK

Blurb: Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. Soon to be a major motion picture from Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Review: I'm quite sure that if you are an avid reader you have heart by now about The Hate U Give. I've certainly seen it everywhere, so to say that I had hight expectation about this one would be an understatement. Well, guess what? It totally and completely surpassed my expectations. What a book, what a story, what a main character! Unbelievably good and definitely a firm contender to book of the year, if not the decade.

I've read a review that says this is a classic in the making and I couldn't agree more. But I feel privileged to be reading it as it comes out too because it handles very current topics. It is inspired mainly by the Black Lives Matter movement and it is such an important read. I think that it should be on every school curriculum for teenagers to read because it's a book that makes you aware of a lot of things that you never really thought about before. For example, something that really got me thinking was the image we have of a police officer. As a kid, my parents would always tell me to look for a police officer if I ever got lost or needed some kind of help, but in a community like Starr's the talk kids get from their parent about the police is a very different one because there's the risk that the police might arrest you or even kill you with no apparent reason. And that's exactly what happened to Starr's best friend.

From that moment, Starr finds herself in the middle of a huge injustice but is afraid to speak up because she knows that with the current system she has already lost the battle: a young poor black guy who sold drugs probably deserved it, he was a danger for everyone. It's shocking that the reality couldn't be more different and that no one really cared. But reading about Starr, her family and her community was really inspiring. Sometimes your voice really is the greatest weapon you have.

Apart from the importance of this topic and how well this book brings awareness about it. I have to say that this is a fantastic book with a well-thought plot and with complex and engaging characters. Starr is probably the most special characters I have read about in a long time. Not only is she easy-relatable, smart and fair but she is kickass heroine that brings the best in people. And every single character in this story is as complex and interesting as her. They all have their own story that complements the main plot perfectly. It feels like every single one of them has its role, nobody is there for the sake of adding a few pages to the story or to fit a cliche. 

Starr's family is really a joy to read. They couldn't be more supporting and loving and they always tried really hard to show how much they cared. They obviously had their problems but they also added a really fun spark to the story. Because yes, this is a very serious topic but the story if full of funny moments (if you love Harry Potter, you'll find yourself actually crying with some of these moments).

All in all, The Hate U Give is a story you need to read. It has a really important message, you learn a lot from it and you have a great time reading it, what else can I say? Just go and get a copy, you won't regret it.