Reviews with content warning for Bullying - The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give
By Angie Thomas
5⭐️

Wow! This story is one I think really needs talked about. It was recommended in one of the book groups I am in for Banned Book Week. I’m so glad I picked this to be my Banned Book Read!

This book hooked me immediately. I thought I’d struggle relating with this book and maybe in some ways I did a little. However, I think that struggle is exactly what I needed to really grasp the importance of the book. There were so many OMG scenes that pulled tears from my eyes and put my hand to my heart. Scenes that had me holding my breath. Every single one of those scenes impacted me in a very deep and profound way. This book needs to be read and talked about!

This book is about a black girl living in a ghetto - a real ghetto - one that most of us don’t really see. At least for me, very different than what our town considers the ghetto or slums or the bricks. This girl loses two of her best friends. One from gang violence at the age of 10 and the other from police brutality at the age of 16. 16 year old Starr is who is sharing her story. Not just her experiences but how she finds her voice, her real voice. Through her story we meet her family and friends and get a real taste of her life.

The flow of this book is so good that I often forgot I was reading. So many pages were turned before I’d check a clock. The author does a really amazing job with this book. Banned or not in places - this book should be read. Read it with your teenagers or even just for yourself. You’ll walk away a different person when you’ve finished. In my opinion, books that change you, are the best ones to read!

Content Warnings

ashleyyy27's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Star Carter goes through traumatic events that lead to the development of who she is as a person. Through the events, she learns what is important to her and that when people love you, you can show them who you really are and they won't run away. This has many political issues in the book and gives a raw perspective on cops shooting black boys and how communities respond to those incidents.

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hmwoodward's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I've heard so much about this book and seen it as required reading in my high school's classrooms, so I decided to read what some of my students are studying these days. I am so glad I read this book, even though it was often challenging.

This book shows you a side of police brutality that we don't get to see - how those who are left behind process and respond to it. Star grapples with her responsibility to her murdered friend and the risk of speaking about it to the public. You watch as life goes back to "normal" as you follow Star to school and with her family. Though the death is no longer the only focus, it is a grief that weighs on Star and the community, on top of all the other trauma they experience in the form of poverty or drugs or gang activity, etc. The world stops at the news of a death at the hands of the police AND at the trial AND at the decision, but they're gone when the news cycle ends again.

Through the course of the book, you get to know and love (most of) the characters, despite their many flaws. You get to understand why people in challenging situations pick what appears to be a wrong choice since the odds are stacked and no choice is a good one sometimes. You watch as the people around Star grow and hear the stories of others who grew in their challenging environment.

I listened to this on audiobook and appreciated the narrator because it felt like I was in Star's head. The narrator brought these powerful and emotional moments to life so vividly.

Content Warnings

misterbugman's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

anamustacho's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I love Star's parents.

There is so much I love about this book. The ddiversity. The humor. The sad parts tha make you reflect. How it made mee feel heard and understood as someone from.an immigrant family and interracial parents.

The injustice. The justic and power of people, community.

Tbh I find this book very fitting for catholics. Naastenliefde. Forgiveness.

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