The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: Reviewed by Sophia Tsepenyuk

I am pretty sure you have heard about the amazing book, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I mean having received the Michael L. Printz Award, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award, this book has 4.5 (if not 5) -star reviews everywhere. This book calls out issues such as police brutality and racism through displaying the deep struggles of not only growing up in a poor black neighborhood known as “The Hood” but also making the reader understand the pressure and change of mindset the lead character has to go through when going to an almost all-white fancy prep school. There was so much praise surrounding this book that I was extremely excited to read it. As the sole witness to her friend Khalil’s fatal shooting by a police officer, Starr is overwhelmed by the pressure of testifying before a grand jury and the responsibility of speaking out in Khalil’s memory. The incident also means that the carefully built-up boundary between Starr’s two worlds begins to crumble. This book is really honest, and really shows the reader a deep point of view about the sad part of a person of colour. Though I feel like this book gives a bit to many stereotypes, this book definitely deserves all the praise.
I give this book a solid 4.5 stars.