The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Author : Angie Thomas

Title : The Hate U Give
Published : 2017
Publisher : Walker Books
Genre : Young Adult
Pages : 464

     Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

     This book has been everywhere since it's publication, and I feel it's with good reason. Granted it has taken me a while to get around to reading it. In my defense, my to be read pile is so big and I'm trying my best to get through it instead of buying new books. Every once in a while a book comes along that captures it's time so well that it creates its own gravitational field and draws people in that would normally not give a second thought to picking a book up. When it comes to The Hate U Give you can see why, with everything going on around the globe and especially in America this is a fictional version of events I have seen play out across social media on a weekly basis's.  

     To be put into Starr's situation is the thing on nightmares and all too real occurrence for others. What would you do if you saw your best friend gunned down by the very people that are supposed to be protecting you? Time and again throughout this book I asked my self the same question, Would I could I be as strong as she is. This is a time when she should be finding her self, Instead, she is being asked to do things that few adults could deal with. I remember reading somewhere that being brave didn't mean you weren't scared, it just meant that you still went ahead and did it anyway. And for me, I think this sum's Starr up well. She knows that probable outcome of speaking out, this too is soothing I have seen before. All you have to do is look at the outcome of the Rodney King trail to know these actions have very strong and powerful consequences. If you haven't seen it I would suggest watching the documentary  L.A 92. 

     Here the author shines for me as she manages to balance all these conflicting emotions within her lead. And let's not forget she is a teenager, this is a girl still trying to find the balance between school, friends, and love. It's like trying to juggle with both your hands tied behind your back. But the author also goes beyond this to show the vortex that swirls around such an action, every person has there own opinion of what took place and who is lying. When in truth the only people who know are those who were there. This is a book that raises a lot of question and they are not easy ones to confront or answer.  In today's world, the color of someone's skin is still a big issue for far too many. I think in part this is how we a drip feed out past and also how the media warps and distorts our views on people. But as they say actions speak louder than words, and with the advent of Black Lives Matter, It is time to confront these issues. I am the first to admit I should be doing more, to stand up and speak alongside those other voices. But also to do this without drowning out the words of those who have to face it on an everyday basis. They are who matter and they are who we should be listing to. 

     This book stands as a beacon in the night to show us what it means to be untrusted purely because of your race. While I will never be able to walk a mile in her shoes this is as close as I think I will come. As a medium books do this in such an amazing way, In part I feel it's because the words and as a byproduct the emotions become one with the readers own thoughts. This book is a whirlwind that takes root in your brain and refuse to let you rest. For any one who reads this book, there is no eye of the storm, no holding out until it passes there are just turmoil and a call to action.