The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I have been reading thrillers for the past few months so I decided to try something different for a change. Browsing through my book list, I chose The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas as it has the highest Goodreads ratings among all the books in my collection. This book has garnered so much praise and accolades that even John Green called it a classic of our time.

Having finished reading the book, I am of the opinion that the book lives up to the hype. The Hate U Give is about institutional racism and a criminal justice system where the police can violate the civil rights of marginalized communities.

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor predominantly black crime-riddled neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her expensive largely white high school in the suburbs. In both settings, she feels the pressure to conform to the social norms, making her live a sort of double-life. Her two worlds collide when she becomes the sole witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer.

Khalil’s death goes viral. News reports portray him as a thug and drug dealer. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. Protesters take to the streets in Khalil’s name. Riots ensue.

Starr is caught in a dilemma as what she says or does not say could upend her community and could also get her killed. On one hand, she wishes that she could just hide and go back to her normal life. But her conscience wants her to be brave and to stand up for what she believes is right. With the help of her activist lawyer, she speaks out the truth to shine a light on the plague of police brutality against black people across the country.

In The Hate U Give, author Angie Thomas casts the spotlight on racism, police brutality, the biased justice system and the simmering anger against the police among the black community. It is truly a powerful novel that will make you understand why the Black Lives Matter movement has inspired a lot of people to campaign against violence and systemic racism towards black people.

By the way, the book has been adapted into a powerful movie starring Amandla Stenberg. Below is the official trailer for the movie: