The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a powerful novel following a black teenage girl named Starr Carter who is forced to see two of her childhood best friends brutally murdered at a young age. Starr struggles to fight against the discrimination and police brutality her entire community has faced--she is put in a situation where she must stand up for what is right. She has the choice to either stay quiet to protect herself, or speak up for those she has lost. Starr goes on a journey to find her voice throughout all the struggles she faces.
This book tells an important lesson of police brutality and racism that is extremely prevalent in our society today. It went into detail of many parts of Starr’s life, including how she code-switches depending who she is talking to. The Hate U Give shows the perspective of a young girl that is part of a minority, and the struggles she has gone through as a cause of that. It’s eye-opening in the way that it highlights the injustices that happen all around us. At the same time, the book is inspiring because Starr fights for what is right, knowing the consequences.
I rate this book 4.5 stars. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially teenagers, as they can learn important lessons that are included in the book. I liked reading The Hate U Give because it changed the way I looked at things, and made me more aware of what it is like to be forced to fight for justice.