The Hate You Give

The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Harper Collins, 2017, Young Adult Fiction, 444 p.
Starr Carter lives in the slums of large city, but attends an upscale private school where she and her brothers are the only black students.  One night she is in a car when one of her black friends, Khalil, is unjustly shot by a white police officer.  Starr gives her testimony to the police detectives, but that is not the end of her story.  Activists seize Khalil's death as an opportunity to spotlight racial profiling and protests break out across the country.  Starr is torn between her desire to live a normal life, and a growing sense that in order for Khalil to receive justice, she will have to abandon here safe anonymity and speak out.

I read this book for two reasons.  It received starred reviews in every major review journal the year it came out, and it was the most often banned book the year it came out (and it was national Banned Book Week.)  It is no surprise that it was frequently banned. The density of swear words is approaching 10% -20 %.  I must admit, it was hard for me to read.

I am glad I persisted. I kept telling myself that to truly understand someone you need to "walk a mile in their shoes".  That is what reading the book does, it allows you not only to see but to feel a little of what it is like to have grown up as a racial minority in an underprivileged community.  It helped me understand why some groups are so full of rage after decades of maltreatment.  It also showed me that in the "slums" people, despite their troubles, can grow close and make great sacrifices to try to support each other.