The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas
Balzer + Bray
February 8th, 2017
Starr Carter has to balance her life between two worlds: The inner-city black neighborhood she lives in, and the fancy prep school she attends. It’s more than just code switching–it’s like her prep school friends and neighborhood friends don’t even inhabit the same reality.
These differences become more starkly apparent when her world completely changes.
A childhood friend drags her to a neighborhood party, and she gets a ride home from another old friend: Khalil. He is shot in the back by a police officer during a traffic stop on their way home, and dies right in front of Starr.
Now she has to decide what to tell and who to tell it to–risking her life, her neighborhood, and her family’s business in the process.
Protests erupt, businesses burn, and secrets are uncovered.
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the many police shootings of unarmed black men that have been in the news generating protests, the book shows us a view that must be considered more often–what about the fallout these incidents cause in the lives of relatives, friends and communities? How do people deal with the trauma?
The book was optioned for a movie and fought over by publishers long before publication. I can see why. It’s a hard hitting, emotionally powerful book. I can easily see it becoming part of required reading lists everywhere. You certainly will want to buy it–everyone will be talking about this one, and going out to see the movie. It’s too good to miss.
JL Jamieson is a strange book nerd who writes technical documents by day, and book news, reviews, and other assorted opinions for you by night. She is working on her own fiction, and spends time making jewelry to sell at local conventions, as well as stalking the social media accounts of all your favorite writers.