YA Review: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, February 28, 2017. 464 pages. Published by Balzer + Bray. Source: Borrowed from Library.

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.

First Sentence

I shouldn't have come to this party.

Thoughts

Originally, I had no intention of reading The Hate U Give simply because it was overly hyped (that and one of the author blurbs); and I have not really enjoyed any of the big releases in young adult books from the last couple years (especially contemporary ones). It was nothing personal against the book nor the author, just me tired of being burned by "popular" books, you know.

• Even though I read The Hate U Give in just a matter of hours, as Angie Thomas' writing really pulled me into Starr's world, there were a few things that nearly made me walkaway from it that were present throughout the whole book. I really was not a fan of the language in this book. They f-word, as well as taking the Lord's name in vain, was used so many times that I felt like I was back in Boston, and that was not pleasant. I'm not a fan of swearing; not in real life and I don't like reading it either. So, if I had not been as curious to see how things played out, well, I would have stopped reading because of the language. 

• I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, Angie Thomas' writing was highly readable; let's just say that I sat on the stairs, which are not comfortable, as her writing had thoroughly absorbed me. Like I said, the writing was really good and the story was fairly riveting...I just do not know if on a whole I liked it or what.

• If I had to choose just one thing that I really enjoyed about Angie Thomas' book, it would have to be Starr's family. I especially enjoyed reading about her mom and dad as you could see how much they cared for their children and wanted so much more for them. Even though there were times when I did not agree with them, like Maverick's refusal to leave, I still found them to be one of the strongest parental, in a positive way, presences that I have read about in ages. 

Final Verdict: The Hate U Give- While not really my kind of book, it was definitely thought provoking. 

The Hate U Give earns

A copy of this book was borrowed from the library. All thoughts are my own.