ARC REVIEW: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

 

ASIN: B01M0614T9

Title: The Hate U Give

Series: —

Author: Angie Thomas

Publisher: Balzer+Bray

Expected Release Date: February 28, 2017

Format: eARC

Number of Pages: 464

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. Soon to be a major motion picture from Fox 2000/Temple Hill Productions.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Powerful,  meaningful and bold, these are the three exact words that best describe Angie Thomas’ debut novel, The Hate U Give.

It was written on Starr Carter’s point of view, a Black American teenager who lives in a neighborhood called Garden Heights, a neighborhood of Black Americans and some drug dealers and thugs. Starr saw her two best friends got shoot – one by the GDs and the other – years after the first one – is by a cop, a white cop – and died right in front of her. Starr together with the people in Garden Heights fought to get justice for her best friend, Khalil. But THUG isn’t just about the story of a girl and left loved ones trying to get justice, but a story of a race trying and fighting for each and everyone of their voices to be heard.

The Hate U Give is not just a book. This is not just a book that you will read just because you need something to do to make your extra time pass. This is not just a book you will only read just for the sake of reading. This is not just a book. This is a masterpiece. A written masterpiece made to open the eyes and heart of every people in this world no matter what your color is or where on this Earth you came from. This is a masterpiece made to unite every color, every beating heart in this world.

I lived a life of Blacks in this book and it did made me realized how little did I know about them. It brought a lot of emotions to me, finally realizing that I really know nothing about these people. I knew nothing about how they suffer, but now, I already know. And it changed so many things about how I see people. It thought me some lessons in life. It encouraged me to make my voice be heard.

I love Angie Thomas’ writing. There’s no room for something dislikeable in this book. I can’t quite recall anything I disliked because there was none. There’s something about Angie Thomas’ writing that will pull you deep inside the book. It will make you feel like you’re one of them, like you’re one of these Black’s fighting for what they should have: justice, respect and equality.

And also one of the best things I loved is despite how complicated things are in these people’s lives, humor never left this book. I am whole-heartedly grateful for those days The Hate U Give let me live a life of a Black American. Despite the sufferings and the danger these people are facing, they managed to keep their lives to be full of love and full of laugher. That’s a very precious experience, indeed.

Starr Carter’s character development is also on point. We’ll follow her story and we’ll clearly see how far her character developed. From a scared teenager who’s afraid of speaking up, she conquered her fears and learned how to let her voice be heard. She thought herself to fight, to fight for what’s right and what they truly deserve. I also loved the family dynamics in this book. The Carter’s is another family to admire and dream of having.

Angie Thomas wrote beautifully, powerfully, entertainingly, and truthfully. THUG truly deserves a 5/5 rating.

And we all need to remember and embrace this book’s message: ya’ll need to remember, no matter what the color of your skin is or wherever part of this Earth you came from, your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Black, white, brown, gay, lesbian, queer, Muslims, Catholics, no matter what your beliefs and religion is, Asian, whatever ya’ll claim yourself to be, you all matter. We all matter.

The Hate U Give is a powerful groundbreaking novel YOU SHOULDN’T MISS. I 100% RECOMMEND.

Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Meyers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, was acquired by Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins in a 13-house auction and will be published in spring 2017. Film rights have been optioned by Fox 2000 with George Tillman attached to direct and Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg set to star.

Find her on:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

*A huge thanks to HarperCollins International for the eARC. The electronic arc received  by any means did not affect my review.