Title: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Genre: fiction; ya; contemporary; realistic
Synopsis: (from Goodreads) 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.
Review: Books that make me feel both empowered and ready to take on the whole damn world are why I read books! Angie Thomas’ debut novel is inspiring. Important. Relevant. Engaging. Tragic. Heartbreaking. Activating. Starr is a brilliant protagonist who rises up and claims her voice. She begins her story by having two sides, the side she shows at school and the side she shows at home and they never mingle. B the end of the novel, she’s learned that both parts of her life are important and they need to be able to coexist for her to really be herself. She starts as a Tumblr activist, someone who retweets hashtags and shares posts, but by the end, she’s the one making moves for awareness.
The relevance of this book in the United States right now cannot be underestimated. With the help of social media and the internet, more and more cases of racially unjust acts of violence have come to light, and this novel highlights that brilliantly. This book isn’t about Starr having all the answers — that would be unrealistic. How could Starr have any solutions if there AREN’T any real solutions yet? As a teacher, I know that I will teach this book year after year after year.
chelsea usher 
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