Hello Rad Readers! This is an absolute must read for sure!! It is such an incredibly written story and stands out massively against other young adult novels. It does not hold back but it is still so perfectly approached. Everything is written for a reason and it really is just an incredible read!
Starr Carter leads essentially two lives. One, where her home is, in Garden Heights, an impoverished urban neighborhood. The other at the school she goes to, Williamson, a rich, fancy, suburban prep school. In each she describes herself as being one version of Starr, not allowed to be completely herself in either version, making very well sure not to blend the two. Her priorities, and ability to do this all change when one night her childhood friend Khalil is unjustly shot and murdered by a cop in front of her. She witnesses it all and the trauma is not possible to leave behind in one of her worlds. Unlike everything else thus far in her life, she cannot leave this when she goes to school or forget about it when she is with her friends. It doesn't take long for Kahlil's murder to make national headlines, either, which only makes matters more complicated for Starr. Some people call Kahlil a drug dealer, gang member, even say that he had it coming. Others are protesting in his name. Everyone in the world seems to have their idea of what happened that night, but only Starr really knows. Only Starr is called to testify as a witness. Starr feels like only she can make things right for Khalil. We follow Starr as she deals with her grief and trauma in the wake of the death of her childhood friend, as well as watch her struggling to balance her two worlds. The line she though she had crafted before seems to shatter.
Starr is seriously one of my favorite characters ever and I don't throw around statements like that all the time. She is honest, strong, authentic, and something we should all try to be. She has a voice and knows how to use it. It is awesome to read about a character who has so much strength, so much to say, and actually does something about it. It is like a breath of fresh air in young adult novels. Angie Thomas, the author, lets you know the truth in the most beautiful yet hard hitting way possible. This is so much more than a societal commentary though. Yes, it is frustrating, devastating. The story itself is painful, truthful, and heartbreaking, but there are parts of the book that are funny. Starr's boyfriend and friends are a great comic relief. As you might expect, this is a very very sad book, but what is really incredible about it is the fact that it is not hopeless. There are parts that are actually funny. The characters are great and so well developed. Starr's boyfriend was a major part of the story and so were her friends. They contributed not only in their quick witted and sharp dialogue, but also to the idea that life goes on. Not only was the meaning of the book great, but the reading experience was really good too. The characters were really flushed out, and firmly established, they had super distinct personalities and back stories. Angie Thomas could have well easily written a book solely on racism and police brutality, but she chose to write about so so much more, and I think that is what made this book such a massive success!
The Hate U Give, as you likely have already figured, is incredibly deep. Between the media flurry that takes place after his death as well as the intensity that rises from the situation between family, community, friends, and neighbors, nothing is glossed over. Angie Thomas touches on multiple subjects and does so extremely effectively (I won't say though out of fear of spoiling anything! I don't want to spoil anything because I want you to read this book!!!).
What is so heartbreaking is the fact that this is a fiction, but only barely. It is obviously a reflection, even maybe a response, to the world we live in today, to the news stories we hear today. I would say it could even be classified as a historical fiction sometime down the line. What is so moving and powerful about this book is that we watch our main character grow, we watch the story go on and we do watch things get a little better, but when the book is over, there is no relief. There is no relief because although this is where the book ends the reader now knows that this is not where the truth of it ends. You cannot brush this story off. You can't because of how real it feels. The way Angie Thomas writes is utter genius. She incorporates slang and pop culture references and small details that just add up to make the setting and the story so easy to imagine and feel and immerse yourself in.
The reason why I think this is a must read is because it really is meaningful and moving to so many people. If you read it there is no chance that you will come away from it with nothing. It can inspire, impact, educate someone, and as much as I hate to admit it, I don't often read books like that. I read books about faeries and vampires and shadowhunters and that is well and good too. I love (seriously love) those books as you can likely tell from my reviews and book talks on them, but a main reason for literature in general, I believe, is to not only entertain, but to educate; to see the world from a different lens, and understand different perspectives.
Rad Readers, I do not doubt for a second that this book is worth reading!
- C8 ;)