THUG LIFE

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: A Book Review

Genre: Urban Fiction

In 2020, a man by the name of George Floyd was brutally murdered by police officers. It is this year that Thomas brought me back to in The Hate U Give. Written three years before the death of Floyd, Thomas depicts a story of police brutality against the African-American population. In fact, Thomas was heavily inspired by the murder of Oscar Grant – writing the first draft of The Hate U Give to cope with the injustice surrounding Grant. Following the story of Starr, a witness to the death of her friend, Thomas writes both a coming-of-age story as well as a piece of literature detailing the struggles African-Americans face on a daily bases.

Featuring drugs and gangs, Thomas hits hard on reasons people give to justify the treatment of blacks all while detailing the reason why there is no justification to treat others as less. While racism towards black people was a main theme, Thomas also brought in racism towards other races as well such as Chinese people. Even with these hard topics, Thomas also managed to talk about how the strongest weapon a person has is their voice and the idea of being true to yourself.

All in all, The Hate U Give is an emotional work that is both moving and thought-provoking. Starr was so life-like I wouldn’t be surprised if she came through the door. Hailey is a total b**** – and I am super glad she did not get a redemption arc. Khalil, DeVante, and Seven were also incredible. I am not a fan of Chris and Starr together (I feel Starr is a better match for DeVante), but Chris also was a well-developed character.

Thomas did an amazing job in her debut novel. My only complaint is that Starr’s story ends with The Hate U Give. Even with no major loose ends, it hurts not knowing the continuation of the story – like losing a friend by moving away.

Who would most enjoy the work and who should stay clear (if necessary):

The people who would enjoy this would be the ones that feel invisible. If you feel like you have to change who you are depending on who you are with, you will enjoy this book. If you feel misrepresented, you will enjoy this book.

No one should stay clear of this book. Some people might find it uncomfortable. Those people need to take a hard look at themselves and ask why.