I am back with a fairly short review today for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
This book was phenomenal.
I'm going to keep this review super short because I think you should read the book, not my review, to get the full message.
The story follows 16-year-old Starr who has just witnessed a police officer murder of one of her friends after they were leaving a party. This book is inspired by the Black Lives Matter Movement, but it is so much more than that. There is love, hate, family, friendship, racism, police brutality, the list goes on.
This book provided such an eye-opening experience for me. Sometimes it is hard to put yourself in other people's shoes, especially when their world and life seems so different from your own. But Thomas does a fantastic job of laying it all out. She presents both sides of every story: the police officer's interpretation of the situation vs. Starr's first-hand account; Starr's uncle and aunt who are considered rich vs. Starr's family, more on the poor side; Starr's uncle Carlos, a black cop who is enraged that a fellow officer pulled a gun on two unarmed teens vs. Officer Cruise, a white cop who some say was just doing his job.
Throughout this book, Thomas doesn't get preachy, she doesn't tell you how to live your life or how to treat others, she just gives a much-needed voice that shows how the situation COULD be handled. She presents the details of this story so that even those who don't see the divisions of society are left with a new perspective and an open mind.
I think that is all I want to say about this book, and I highly recommend you pick it up as well.