I read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas back in August and if you are one of the few people who still haven’t read it, READ IT. I haven’t seen the movie yet so I can’t say how it compares, but I definitely will do a follow up when I finally do!
This is going in my top 10 favorite books of all time list. I kid you not, I finished this book in less than 24 hours because I canceled plans on a Friday night to stay home and finish it. If you haven’t heard of it, read it, or seen the publicity for the movie yet…are you sure you don’t live under a rock? I LOVED reading this book. I learned so much as a white person and couldn’t help but feel mortified for my younger self who did not understand the gravity of my words or actions.
“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff and they say it so much that it becomes okay for them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
I’m late to the game on this one, but if you have not read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, stop what you are doing and read it now. This is another book that is going on my Required Reading for the Human Race list. Seriously, please give it a read. The film will be released in October if reading isn’t your thing, but I still encourage you all to read it first. I read it in less than 24 hours. Illuminating, painful, and most disturbingly, real. .
Starr Carter is a 16 year old black girl caught between two worlds and two Starr’s. Her home self, in her neighborhood of Garden Heights surrounded by people who look and sound like her, were raised like her. And her school self, at Williamson in the rich white suburbs. She has to act a certain way, she feels, not wanting to be labeled “ghetto” or the “Angry Black Girl.” She and her childhood best friend, who haven’t seen much of each other since Starr switched schools, are driving one night when a cop pulls them over. This is an intimate look into the story we’ve seen on the news too many times, from the side they refuse to show. .
I don’t want to give too much plot away, but this is one of the finest books I’ve ever read. Last summer I read Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult and it changed my life. The Hate U Give has gone even deeper. I am a white girl from the suburbs of Connecticut. I went to private school my whole life and have a 4 year degree from a private university. I have privileges I don’t even know about half the time. I recommend this book to every.single.white.person. You will thank yourself. .
Read and Wright 