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.

The Hate U Give is one of those books that most people have probably heard of, and I know some people are probably scared of the hype. But this book is so worth it! I’ll confess that I’ve already seen the film adaptation. I really wanted to see it when it came out, even though I hadn’t read the book. Even if you’ve seen the movie, I would highly recommend reading the book. I don’t own a physical copy of this book but I definitely want to get one.

After listening to the audiobook of On the Come Up a while ago, I knew I wanted to also listen to The Hate U Give. I really enjoyed On the Come Up, but The Hate U Give is even better. Bahni Turpin is probably my favourite audiobook narrator – Turpin reads in such a lively way, it feels so personal and I could hear so much emotion. I was so invested while listening to the story and it only took me 3 days to read it. I really think the narration helped Starr come to life, so if I haven’t already convinced you, you should definitely try the audiobook!

The Hate U Give is told from the point of view of Starr, a 16-year old who is trying to balance living in Garden Heights with attending a white school in a different neighbourhood. Starr has a white boyfriend but is worried that he and her friends don’t see every side of her. After attending a party, Starr sees her childhood best friend Khalil get murdered by a police officer. Khalil was unarmed, but the media assumes he deserved it. Starr knows that Khalil didn’t have a weapon and that he wasn’t dangerous. But even if he had been a gang member, it still wouldn’t excuse the murder.

Starr struggles with knowing if she should speak out because the likely outcome is that her words won’t change anything. It also could be dangerous because of ongoing gang tensions and antagonism from the police. You can’t help but feel hopeful and wonder if maybe this time it will be different, and everyone will believe Starr, and the officer will be convicted. Unfortunately, I knew while reading this that a perfect happy ending would be unrealistic and not reflective of the justice system in America. Despite this, there were heartwarming scenes throughout – mainly family moments – and the light moments were just as important as the heavy ones. There are some funny moments too!

I really loved Starr’s family! No one is perfect, and that’s the point. I loved her parents and their relationship, and the dynamics with Starr and her siblings. This was an incredible debut so I’m really looking forward to Angie Thomas’s next book, Concrete Rose, which focuses on Starr’s dad. There is so much character growth from everyone. Starr’s parents struggle with wanting to protect their children, but not wanting to abandon their neighbourhood. Her older brother struggles with protecting his siblings from a different mother. Her uncle struggles with reconciling his Black identity with being a cop. Most of all, Starr herself is able to grow. She has to heal from the trauma of seeing Khalil die, which is a complicated process, especially as she feels pressure to give her side of the story. Starr also has to overcome differences with her boyfriend and friends from school – she became so much more confident in herself and I loved it.

Calling this book relevant doesn’t really do it justice. The events of this book could well be real, which gave it a lot of weight. It was so impactful and made me feel a wide range of emotions – anger, frustration, sadness, happiness and hope. I know that as I’m white, I will never fully understand what it is like to experience racism. The reactions of some people in this book really mirror those of so many people in society- defensiveness, assumptions, denial, and victimizing the officer over Khalil. It’s hard to read about, but very necessary. If you find yourself agreeing with some of the views Starr argues against, this might be the wake-up call for you to actively work on anti-racism.

So overall, I loved this book. I didn’t pick it up for a while because I’d already seen the film and the book was so hyped, but I am so glad I read it. Definitely a new favourite of this year and overall, and I know I’ll be rereading my audiobook. I really enjoyed both of Angie Thomas’s books so I’m looking forward to reading more in the future. The only other things I’d add are warnings for murder, police brutality, violence, racism and trauma.

It’s important to stay informed on the current events happening. Police brutality is systemic, and not isolated events. A lot of people in the UK media also seem to deny racism because “it’s worse in America” which is a rubbish excuse. It’s not enough to just talk about change when one thing happens and then move on because Black people continue to be murdered by police. Educate yourself, donate, and fight for change. Black Lives Matter. This is by no means exhaustive, but here are a few links I’ve seen:

BLM Carrd compiling links: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Black Trans Lives Matter Carrd: https://blacktranslivesmatter.carrd.co/
UK Black Pride: https://www.ukblackpride.org.uk/
Donate to Reclaim the Block: https://www.reclaimtheblock.org/
Black Visions Collective: https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/