The Hate U Give

Starr saw her friend Khalil shot while he was unarmed by a cop. How she reacts effects not only her life but her entire neighborhood.

I originally decided to read this book because it is one of the most challenged books of 2018. For those of you that don't know the last week in September is banned books week and I wanted to celebrate, grant it a little late, it by reading one of the books that had been challenged. The Hate U Give was challenged for being "deemed 'anti-cop" as well as "profanity, drug use and sexual references".

I disagree with this book being deemed anti-cop, it is anti corruption, it is anti propaganda, and it is anti racism. There are cops in this book, specifically Starr's uncle Carlos, that are good men who are there to protect everyone and don't make snap judgements. I agree with the sentiments in the book that if a police officer shoots someone resulting their death in a situation where lethal force was not necessary they should be tried and convicted of murder. Shoot to disable/disarm you don't need to shoot to kill.

Enough of my soapbox and onto the review! I really liked this book, it gives a glimpse into a world that is very different from my own. Starr really brings you into her world, both her home in Gardens and at her posh private school Williamson. Seeing how she reconciles what happened to her friend, how she acts around people who don't see him as anything more than a drug dealer, and how she handles the investigation, being the sole witness.

Her father and her Uncle Carlos are two of my favorite characters in the book. Her father used to be a gang member but got out after a three year prison term. He turned his life around that way he could be there for his family. While he was in prison Carlos was there for his family, for the first moments he missed, to see the tears his children cried, that time created a really interesting dynamic between her father, her uncle, and Starr that I really enjoyed.

The way everything was written was extremely realistic, from why the cop justified the shooting, to the reactions of her community at home, as well as in her predominately white school. Everything feels real, the terror, the sadness, the moments of joy were exceedingly well written.

This is a book everyone should read. It made a situation that I've only read about real to me, and it's an experience everyone should have.