Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.
This book is WOW. JUST WOW. Never read anything so honest, educational, and real (as for a fictional book) . This book is definitely a favorite! I finished reading this book last month (It was on my Jan. Books I’m Reading This Month post.) I decided to do my post my review this month in honor of Black History Month (which I’m celebrating for the whole month).
Here’s a list of reasons why I love this book (and you should read it):
- This book talks about racism and the issues that are still present in our world and I like books that are easy to compare to real life situations.
- My two favorite characters are Starr (the main character who’s telling the story) and Chris (Starr’s boyfriend). I like that Chris represents the white people in the world who understand African Amerian struggles even if it’s something that they can’t relate to. I like Starr because we have similar personalities and I like the way she tells the story.
- I love how before jumping straight into the plot, it gave you background information so that you wouldn’t be confused about what’s happening and who certain characters were.
- The book was well written and is appealing to adults as well. (My mom loved this book and recommended it to me!)
- This book is a conversation starter about situations that most people steer away from having with others. Conversations are needed in regards to race, police brutality, and gun laws.
That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?
I recently watched The Hate U Give movie! Here’s what I thought of the movie:
- I liked the movie, but it was really different from the book. For example, the movie was very cut to the chase and left out small details from the book.
- The movie added in scenes that never happened in the book which made it a bit confusing.
- The actresses and actors did a really good job in portraying the characters from the book! I even knew some of the actors from other tv shows so it was great to see familiar faces!
- I honestly, think the book should of been turned into a series instead of a movie. Maybe, I just wanted more but I think the series would have allowed more of the history of the characters to play out so that it could give more gravity to highly important issues that are currently an issue today.
- A big take away, for me is I’m so glad that I read the book first. Having background knowledge was great! I did really like movie but I love the book more!
This book is in the category of: Required Reading for Everyone
I can’t change where I come from or what I’ve been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?
Bottom Line: Anything that Angie Thomas dishes out – I’m there for it! She’s an amazing author! I’m so happy that she’s getting all the recognition she deserves!
So, you know, I’m definitely gonna be reading her latest book that recently came out On the Come Up.
(For more info on this book click book cover.)
Happy Reading!
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