Thomas, Angie. (2017). The hate U give. New York: HarperCollins.
After a party is broken up by violence, Starr and her childhood friend Khalil head home. They are pull over by the police and an unarmed Khalil is shot and killed by the officer. Starr is the only witness to the shooting and its her word against the officer. The community is up in arms over the shooting. Her father, a former gang member, knows he has to protect her from all that is going to happen with the trial. Starr can't talk about it with anyone, including her white boyfriend from the private school she attends. When the verdict is returned and the officer is found not guilty, violence erupts in the neighborhood, and Starr is the middle of it all.
I know that is a weak summary, but how do you describe the most powerful book you have ever read? I can't put into words what reading this book was like. I had a friend who teaches education classes at U of H talk about some researcher who compared reading to a mirror to reflect your life or a window to allow you to see into someone else's life. This book smashes the window, reaches in, grabs you, and then slaps you in the face. If you read to escape, this is not the book for you. This book shows everything that is wrong with how young Black men are treated in America. It highlights the issues with police shootings, along with how the witness can be ignored.
When I finished the book, I walked upstairs and handed it to my teenage daughter and told her to read it right away. She passed it to friends when she finished. I've bought 3 other copies but my copies kept getting passed to other teenagers at her high school and I don't care. This book needs to be read and talked about! When the neighboring school district pulled it from the shelf and banned it, I bought a couple more and let the girls in my daughter's dance company who attended that district know that I would share copies with them. I know that a teacher in our district wanted to pilot the book for 12th grade English class and the request was denied. The more people get upset about this book, the more kids I try to get it to! This is what is happening in our country and it needs to be talked about!
The same friend that I mentioned early has a son, who is Black. She lives in fear when he is out at night, not because he's a bad kid and will get in trouble, but because he is a 21 year old Black male in America. No one should live with that! It's time for a change and this book can get it moving!
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