Scan barcode
A review by ojtheviking
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
4.0
Sometimes I don't feel comfortable simply writing a review in terms of how talented I think the author is. Sometimes the topic of the novel is an important point in and of itself. Yes, this story is fictional, but at the same time, it's not fictional at all. It touches upon a topic that is far too real for far too many people. It's a problem that affects far too many lives.
Being from Norway, one could say the social temperature in the US is a bit distant to me in many ways. But I have eyes and ears. I see news articles and read posts from friends on Facebook. And a lot of the things I observe are retold in this book. The systematic racism, police brutality, victim-blaming, everything that's dysfunctional, oppressive, and flat-out wrong in many American neighborhoods. The story does not deny that crimes do get committed, and criminals do exist, as some of the characters are involved in street gangs. But that also shows how systematic the racism is: Any black person living in a neighborhood where there happens to be some criminal activity is automatically assumed to be part of that lifestyle. And the approach is "shoot first, ask later; guilty until proven innocent."
The story also touches upon the more average, everyday stereotypes that can creep up in regular conversations from pure ignorance; white people assuming too much about other cultures, cracking a tasteless joke, and generally speaking before thinking, which could all leave someone to feel pre-judged and unsafe from every direction to the point of utter exhaustion.
As an author, though, Angie Thomas does nail it. The story is well-written. Grounded in reality, yet the style is compelling. It's one of those books I had trouble putting down, and Thomas' literary talent plays a part in that. But, as indicated above, I find the topic important too. And the combination reels you in and has you soaking in the story in a different way than the average fictional novel. From her own author's notes, this story is also inspired by some real events that affected her very early in life. But sadly, you wouldn't really need the author's notes to pick up on that, as one has seen enough of those aforementioned news stories and Facebook posts to know that this is a struggle many African Americans and people of other ethnicities - if not most of them - have been affected by one way or another in their lives.
One of the things I love the most is that despite the very serious topic, it's not all drama all the way. We get to see the characters from different sides. Their strengths, their flaws, the dynamic between friends and family, and there is a "slice of life" feel to many parts of the story. And now and then a little humor is sprinkled on top. It makes the characters come alive and feel more real. However, that also brings it back full circle; it shows how we are all just fellow human beings, yet some of us go through more shit than others in extremely unfair and sometimes fatal ways. And the story will have you smiling one moment, then shocked and frustrated the next.
And it re-establishes a truth that we must still and always speak up about, which is as current today as it was five years ago, ten years ago, thirty and beyond: Black lives matter.
Being from Norway, one could say the social temperature in the US is a bit distant to me in many ways. But I have eyes and ears. I see news articles and read posts from friends on Facebook. And a lot of the things I observe are retold in this book. The systematic racism, police brutality, victim-blaming, everything that's dysfunctional, oppressive, and flat-out wrong in many American neighborhoods. The story does not deny that crimes do get committed, and criminals do exist, as some of the characters are involved in street gangs. But that also shows how systematic the racism is: Any black person living in a neighborhood where there happens to be some criminal activity is automatically assumed to be part of that lifestyle. And the approach is "shoot first, ask later; guilty until proven innocent."
The story also touches upon the more average, everyday stereotypes that can creep up in regular conversations from pure ignorance; white people assuming too much about other cultures, cracking a tasteless joke, and generally speaking before thinking, which could all leave someone to feel pre-judged and unsafe from every direction to the point of utter exhaustion.
As an author, though, Angie Thomas does nail it. The story is well-written. Grounded in reality, yet the style is compelling. It's one of those books I had trouble putting down, and Thomas' literary talent plays a part in that. But, as indicated above, I find the topic important too. And the combination reels you in and has you soaking in the story in a different way than the average fictional novel. From her own author's notes, this story is also inspired by some real events that affected her very early in life. But sadly, you wouldn't really need the author's notes to pick up on that, as one has seen enough of those aforementioned news stories and Facebook posts to know that this is a struggle many African Americans and people of other ethnicities - if not most of them - have been affected by one way or another in their lives.
One of the things I love the most is that despite the very serious topic, it's not all drama all the way. We get to see the characters from different sides. Their strengths, their flaws, the dynamic between friends and family, and there is a "slice of life" feel to many parts of the story. And now and then a little humor is sprinkled on top. It makes the characters come alive and feel more real. However, that also brings it back full circle; it shows how we are all just fellow human beings, yet some of us go through more shit than others in extremely unfair and sometimes fatal ways. And the story will have you smiling one moment, then shocked and frustrated the next.
And it re-establishes a truth that we must still and always speak up about, which is as current today as it was five years ago, ten years ago, thirty and beyond: Black lives matter.