The Hate U Give, The genre of Young-Adult, written by author Angie Thomas, was a very perspective-changing read. The book follows a teenage African-American girl, Starr Carter, who witnesses her second account of police brutality, which ultimately changes her life forever. The book addresses harmful racial stereotypes and the fear that can stem from them in the account of an actual person of color. Starr battles her two lives, her Garden Heights life as one of the children of a former gang member, “Big Mav”, and a student at Williamson Prep , as one of the only black people in her private school. After witnessing the death of her friend Khalil, Starr faces many external and internal problems in her life. Starr Carter views two different worlds, and how they react about Khalils’ death. One world, Williamson Prep, calling him a drug dealer and diminishing the real story behind his death. And another world, Garden Heights, who understands first-hand what happened to Khalil. Internally, Starr is consumed with fear. Fear of what other individuals think of her if she spoke up against the hate that Khalil is facing. Would they think of her as a liar? Attack her? Would they hate her for not speaking up? Throughout the story, Carter grows as an individual and gradually gains more confidence in herself and her race. The book gave me a different perspective. When viewing the book in the eyes of an individual that had more knowledge and pain from a first hand experience of police brutality, it helped me gain more knowledge. The book helped me learn that I shouldn’t judge someone by incomplete facts that are given to me. It is better to listen to the first hand experiences by the people greatly affected than to listen to someone who isn't affected at all. The book was an interesting read; the diction used were mostly words that are used in day-to-day life, which gave the book a modern sense to it. The book made me feel more knowledgeable and helped me learn about struggles inside of the black community. This book is a great read for anyone who would like to learn about the impact of police brutality in the black community from a community members’ perspective. Although, this book is more geared towards mature audiences, with the use of some curse words. This book is more for gaining understanding than actual entertainment, since heavy themes are displayed in the book.
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