The Hate U Give

Given the context of what happened in Charlottesville, I can't think of a book that can be more relevant to read right now. In The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the main character, Starr, is torn between two worlds. Starr lives in a poor urban neighborhood know as Garden Heights, but goes to school at Williamson Prep. Williamson Prep is a school that is gated and is located in the affluent suburbs.

Starr acknowledges that she feels like she is two different Starrs - the Garden Heights Starr and the Williamson Starr. In her own thoughts, "Williamson Starr doesn't use slang - if a rapper would say it, she doesn't say it, even if her white friends do. Slang makes them cool. Slang makes her "hood". Williamson Starr holds her tongue when people piss her off so nobody will think she's the "angry black girl". Williamson Starr is approachable. No stank-eyes, side-eyes, none of that. Basically, Williamson Starr doesn't give anyone a reason to call her ghetto."

Then one fateful night after she attends a party at Garden Heights, everything changes. Khalil, her childhood friend and first crush, drives her home from the party. On their way home, a cop pulls them over for license, registration, and proof of insurance. The officer shoots Khalil even though he is unarmed and cooperative.

Now Starr no longer has the luxury of keeping her two lives separate. Will she testify for Khalil? Can she find the courage to speak up? What will her friends at Williamson Prep think?

One of the main reasons why I enjoyed reading this novel was the three-dimensional characters. Yes, Khalil is a drug dealer. But when we find out why he is dealing drugs, we realize that his motive is pure, even though his methods and results are not. Starr's father asks her, "Why was he a drug dealer? Why are so many people in our neighborhood drug dealers?" Starr answers, "They need money. And they don't have a lot of other ways to get it." Carlos, a police officer who believes in his career and his mission to help people,is also Starr's uncle and must come to terms with Khalil's death.