The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

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 The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas

        The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, is a deep and thought-provoking story about current racial injustice in America. It follows a girl named Starr, who lives in a poor black neighborhood, who lives a double life at a rich private school. Starr's journey through an attempt to bring justice to a very close friend takes her through a strikingly similar story to many recent events, and immerses the reader into a first-hand view of fighting against injustice, exploring the dynamics behind protests and friendships alike. 

        The Hate U Give is incredible at immersing the reader into a deeply personal story that we all can relate to recent events. It offers a unique first-hand account at what really happens behind the news reports, and details the extent of injustice in the US police system. Additionally, it provides relationship dynamics that are both realistic and relatable, with insights on the value of friendships and family. Lastly, it sheds light on how loss affects a person and what they feel throughout their life: The Hate U Give portrays Starr in a realistic and inspirational way. 

        The Hate U Give touches on several topics that are sensitive to some people: after all, it is designed to bring awareness to such things. This combined with the not-infrequent use of profanity throughout the book has lead it to be one of the top banned books: one of the top ten according to the ALA. While the language was not necessarily clean, it helped to immerse the reader into the story and contributed to emphasizing certain situations in a way that would be difficult to do otherwise. Overall, the use of profanity was very nicely balanced and contributed to the story well. If you are fine with profanity, this is definitely a book to read: it balances deep, thought-provoking messages with relatable and well-written character dynamics.  


Jonathan

Comments

  1. Robert GaoJanuary 10, 2022 at 11:55 AM

    I clicked on this novel because I've seen the movie before — a wrenching, heartbreaking journey of a girl that suffers through losing a loved one to police brutality, the movie was able to encompass what it means to endure hardship and become stronger on the other end. Glad to see that the book does these things as well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ezra AkreshFebruary 11, 2022 at 12:15 PM

    Great review Jonathan! I watched the movie and I thought that it was quite good. I really enjoy reading books in the form of a social commentary, and I will definitely put this on my reading list..
    - Ezra

    ReplyDelete

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