The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Title: The Hate U Give

Author: Angie Thomas

Publisher: Balzer + Bray (Imprint of HarperCollins)

Release Date: February 28, 2017

Genre: Young Adult

My Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis:

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.

Review:

I absolutely loved T.H.U.G. from the very start. From the opening pages, Thomas takes her readers on an emotional roller coaster that never stops throughout Starr's story of police brutality and her fight for justice for her friend Khalil's death. Early on, I fell in love with Starr's character and the other characters in Starr's life. Thomas does a phenomenal job with her character development, making her characters enjoyable and giving the reader a reason to cheer on her characters throughout the entire novel.

There were some moments in the story where I feared the pacing would slow because events seemed to be winding down at times, hinting at a possible halt of the fast pacing, but soon I learned that those moments were only the calm before the storm. Overall, the story maintained a quick pace with conflict and tension to drive the reader forward, making it hard to put the book down.

I've read some reviews about T.H.U.G. and saw that many people asked whether this book would be suitable for students in junior high. I would highly recommend this book to students, especially because this story addresses the racism and prejudice that appears in everyday life. Now, more than ever, it's important for the younger generations to understand these social issues in order to break these prejudices and give new light to the world. As Thomas said, "Your voice is your biggest weapon," and she sets a great example of this statement through her work that will no doubt change the way people think.