The Hate U Give, written by Angie Thomas, is a moving story about racism, police brutality, and equality. A sixteen year old named Starr Carter is stuck in the middle of two worlds, a poor neighborhood and a high end prep school. Forcing herself to fit in, she creates two versions of herself. The balance of her two worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, who was unarmed and killed by a police officer. Khalil’s death becomes the biggest story nationally, and rumors start to spread. Did he deal drugs? Was he armed? Was he aggressive? Starr is the only one who knows the truth about what really happened. This leaves Starr with one of the biggest choices of her life. Should she speak out and put herself at risk? Or should she stay silent and never let the world know the truth?
I’ve read many books in my life, but no book has impacted me like this one has. This book is based on real problems that we face in the world today, and it is so well written that the fictional characters seem like they are going to come out of the pages and become real people. We’ve all been at a point in our lives where we have had the choice to speak up or say nothing. Starr Carter is a perfect example of this feeling. The feeling of wanting to help but being afraid. Starr says, “I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”(pages 34-35) That is one of the biggest themes in this book. I take messages from this story with me everyday, like “What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn,’t be.” (page 252)
Starr is also a character that many teenagers can relate to. She constantly tries to fit in, even though she is different from many people in her school. She is herself at home and then is a completely different person around her friends at school. Many teens experience this because they have a fear of being different and being judged. She also experiences finding out who her true friends are. Many highschoolers, including myself, have gone through this. When Starr is going through a tough time, she starts to realize who will stick by her side through the bad, and the people who don’t really care about her. Starr states an amazing quote about love and friendship in the book, “I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.” (page 264)
The thing that impacted me the most from this book was how a community came together after a tragedy. The story features protests and groups of people trying to help spread awareness. Families become closer and appreciate every moment. Even people that were once divided or enemies came together to deliver a message. People think the main theme in this story is death, but it is really life. Every single person deserves to be treated equally. Black lives matter and it shouldn’t take an unthinkable amount of deaths to realize that. The value of someone's life should be enough. An extremely powerful quote from Starr is, “Everyone wants to talk about how Khalil died, but this isn’t about how Khalil died. It’s about the fact that he lived. His life mattered. Khalil lived!”
I give this book 5 stars. Everyone from the ages of 14 and up should read it. It is a must read and it delivers a message that everyone needs to hear. You will never be the same after you experience this book. It is true art and should be shared. If everyone in the world read this story and understood the message, I truly believe the world would become a more peaceful place.