Book Cover
The Hate U Give was named a Printz Honor book for 2018. The Hate U Give was also a Coretta Scott King Honor recipient, a New York Times Bestseller, and was made into a major motion picture. This novel stood out to me because of the similarities to Ghost Boys. Though these novels are fiction, they could be taken directly from the evening news. Powerful and relevant, Angie Thomas delivers a moving novel about the aftermath of an officer involved shooting of an unarmed black young adult.
Evaluation of Writing
The first thing that stands out in this novel is the tension. The tension is present in many layers of the story. The first way we see tension is between the two worlds that Starr is a part of; her home life and Garden Heights neighborhood friends, and her private school life and friends. She doesn’t truly feel like she belongs in either place. A part of the community, but not really a part of it at all. When Starr’s childhood friend Khalil is shot by a police officer during a traffic stop, this tension between her two worlds only widens. The neighborhood is outraged. Her school community receives the news with mixed emotions. Some are outraged, but some only see Khalil as a gang member from a bad neighborhood. This exposes another area of tension in the book. The differing reactions to Khalil’s death highlight the divide that exists, and Starr is in the middle of this divide.
The next remarkable thing about The Hate U Give is the plot development and pacing. Angie Thomas opens the novel with the fateful party broken up by police that leads to Khalil’s death. Beginning the novel with Khalil’s death sets the stage for the rest of the novel. As both the neighborhood and school communities handle Khalil’s death. The rest of the novel unpacks this tragedy and the vastly different reactions to the death of an unarmed black young adult. Starr is right in the middle of this struggle. She was the only other witness to the shooting besides the officer. She feels pressure to speak out about what happened the night Khalil was shot. “’Go on TV or something, I don’t know’ she says. ‘Tell everybody what really happened that night. They’re not even giving his side of the story. You’re letting them trash-talk him-‘ ‘Excuse-how the hell am I letting them do anything?’ ‘You hear all the stuff they’re saying ‘bout him on the news, calling him a thug and stuff, and you know that ain’t Khalil” (Thomas, 2017, p. 198). Starr feels the weight of this pressure throughout the story. As the novel progresses, the tension between the neighborhood and the police heightens leading to rioting in the streets. Angie Thomas starts the novel with a bang, and keeps the plot running at a feverish pace the entire narrative.
Finally, the themes of the novel are impactful and relevant in today’s culture. At the heart of the novel is the undercurrent of systemic racism and how the rest of the world views black young men. Too often police, and even the white community, unjustly view them as a potential threat that must be handled with caution. Even though Khalil was unarmed, the police officer was threatened by him. Just by him being a young black man. The novel shows how broken our system can be in regard to police brutality. It also highlights unconscious prejudice. The predominately white private school that Starr attends sees Khalil as a troublemaker from the wrong side of the tracks and justify the police officer’s actions. Although we are decades from the civil rights movement, unfortunately this novel highlights racist and prejudice that still exists in our world.
Personal Response
This book and its themes stir many emotions in my own heart. Obviously, cases like the ones that inspired this novel where young, unarmed, black men are gunned down are egregious and heartbreaking. The perception that black people, specifically men, are some how threatening and pose a threat to others just by being there must change. In the wake of these officer involved shootings, there are many voices contributing to the conversation. Some shout, Black Lives Matter! Others shout, Blue Lives Matter! Still others shout, All Lives Matter! Books like this one help to show the disparity between the treatment of black men and police. Certainly, the Black Lives Matter movement, along with books like these contribute to the conversation to showcase the unfortunate reality that prejudice, and racism are still prevalent in our world. By the same token, police officers must make difficult snap decisions over and over in the course of their day. I truly believe no police officer approaches a situation knowing they are going to pull their weapons and fire. However, we must address areas of unintentional bias that exist or cases like Khalil’s will continue to happen. Thomas’s writing showcases the aftermath of Khalil’s death. By including the neighborhood’s reaction in addition to the private school community’s reaction to the news of the shooting, it shows us different sides of the same issue. The writing of the text is casual, and contains a fair number of expletives, but it makes the book relatable to its intended readers. The Hate U Give doesn’t attempt to take a highbrow analysis, it is a front row seat to the death of a friend and the questioning of the police’s ability to serve and protect the black community.
Conclusion
The Hate U Give is an important and timely novel. Unfortunately, stories like Khalil’s are a part of our regular news cycle. This novel gives a voice to those reeling from the loss of a loved one who was unarmed at the hands of the person who was supposed to serve and protect them. A profound look at prejudice and racism still present in today’s society, The Hate U Give is masterfully done. Because of the mature themes, depictions of violence, and language, this book is best suited for high school students.
APA Citation
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York: Balzer+Bray.
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