BOOK REVIEW: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

5/5⭐

Wow. I am at a loss for words. I don't think a review could ever do this book justice. As much as I loved the movie, not even the movie did this book justice. This book is such an eye opener & took me through a roller coaster of emotions from feeling sad, angry, anxious or shocked to feeling so proud I wanted to cry.

“Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug. He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I'll remember how he died. Fairy tale? No. But I'm not giving up on a better ending.”

Born out of the Black Lives Matter movement, the book follows teenager Starr Carter who tries to find a balance between Garden Heights Starr and Williamson Prep Starr. Garden Heights being the poor neighbourhood struggling with crime where she lives and Williamson Prep being the posh school she attends in the suburbs. She doesn't allow her friends or white boyfriend from Williamson see the true Starr, because she feels like she needs to behave a certain way around them in order to be accepted.

One night on the way home, Starr witnesses her childhood best friend, Khalil Harris, being killed by a police officer while Khalil was unarmed. At first Starr wants to keep quiet and hide, out of fear for herself and her family, but the injustice towards Khalil sparks an outrage in her neighbourhood and finally Starr stands up for Khalil and everyone else who has a similar story to his and she joins the fight for justice.

I loved seeing how Starr finally spoke up for herself and for everyone else who shares her same experiences. I love how she used her voice to fight a broken system and how she became a voice to the voiceless. I was so proud of how brave she was, because like Starr's mother said:

“Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared.”

Almost all the characters in this book crept into my heart, especially Starr's family members and some of the community members we read about. It was heartwarming to see how they take care of each other and help each other wherever they are able to.

Starr's dad, Maverick, is also one of my favourite characters and I cannot wait to read about his past in my copy of Concrete Rose which was kindly sent to me by Pan Macmillan South Africa which I will buddy read with a friend on Bookstagram.

This book addresses so many issues which black people face everyday, such as police brutality, racism, prejudice and injustice, which is so relevant today, and I believe every single person needs to read this book in order to change their perspective and help them understand the side which the media does not show. This book carries such a powerful message.