Blurb:

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.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

This is such an amazing, thought provoking and gut wrenching read. I could identify with Starr in many ways while reading this story. Starr is the key eye witness to the murder of her childhood friend, Khalil and she’s put in a tough position. Everyone is so quick to say what they would do in certain situations but when you’re point in that situation, it isn’t as easy as it seems. She goes through a lot of emotions dealing with the death of her friend and I felt her pain with her. As a person of color I’ve had several thoughts like Starr. I know what it’s like to be judge by the color of my skin. Having to act a certain way so you won’t be classified as the “angry black girl”. The automatic assumption I live in the ghetto, I don’t. This book was such a powerful read and reflected heavily on current situations. I encourage everyone to read this book! White, black, brown, yellow, red, polka dot. Everyone can benefit from reading this powerful read.  For a debut book Thomas knocked it out of the park! I loved her writing, the plot and the flow of the story. I felt like I was living it out alongside Starr and her family while reading. I’m looking forward to reading more books by her in the future!

5 Book Corner Stars

Buy Here:

Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/2u5oEab
Itunes Affiliate Link: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-hate-u-give/id1156080985?mt=11

About the Author:

Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books.

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