A review by what_is_daphne_reading
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? No

5.0

This book was so well written. It deals with such a heavy subject matter but it does it in a nuanced way. I can’t understand why it’s on the banned list. It should be in the required reading list if anything! I mean, I don’t understand why anything is on a banned list. That whole concept is so stupid but I digress.   Star felt very much like a teenager to me and I loved that. I hate when YA books have characters that are either so immature that they are basically infants, or so overly mature that you wonder why the author said they were teens in the first place. Stat was just right. She was brave (although she didn’t think so), petty, funny, impulsive and secretive. Her relationship with her parents is basically goals. I hope my kids feel as solid about me as Star feels about her parents. Even when she is mad at them. 

I didn’t know that the title was referencing Tupac or what thug life stood for before reading this book. If you don’t know, it’s for:

The

Hate

U

Give

Little

Infants

Fucks

Everybody

Khalil is explaining this to Starr as he is driving her home. Then he is killed and Starr’s mom says, “he was just a baby.” 

Then basically, the hate officer 115 gave Khalil did fuck everybody in the neighborhood. Riots, looting, businesses being burned, police officers being attacked. 

What is most devastating about this book is how utterly mundane it is. This has happened many times. There are real life people out there like the Carters, like Uncle Carlos, like Ofrah, who are doing their best to make sure things like this don’t continue to happen. We can be them, we can help them,  but it’s not going to stop if we just pretend it isn’t a problem.