Date Read:
March 3rd, 2018 – March 5th, 2018
Rating: 
Format:
Audiobook, Physical Hardback
Summary:
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.
Review:
While I struggled a bit with the slang used in Dear Martin, I surprisingly had no issues with The Hate U Give‘s use of Ebonics. The audiobook may have helped with this since I had to sporadically reread a few lines while reading my physical copy.
Out of the handful of African-American centered novels I’ve read, The Hate U Give is the only one that perfectly captures the essential parts of the African-American community. Whether an African-American family lives in the suburbs, projects, or the hood, certain uses of language, songs, dances, and communal atmospheres transcend homesteads. The constant mention of Soul Food made me extremely hungry, and I personally felt DeVante’s frustration regarding Chris’s mention of putting breadcrumbs on top of mac and cheese (disgraceful!). The “Holy Ghost Two-Step” and constant praise breaks are present in predominately black churches, especially in the South. However, I didn’t understand the Carter family’s belief in a Black Jesus. He was Jewish, not black.
The Carters’ family dynamic is the best part of the book. Though Seven is the product of infidelity, Lisa, Starr, and Sekani treat him like a legitimate son and brother. Lisa and Maverick stay involved in the lives of their children, both of having a unique, loving relationship with each child while providing an example of an affectionate and realistic long-term romantic relationship. Even Uncle Carlos plays a key role in the lives of Starr and her brothers as a surrogate father figure.
The inciting incident – Khalil’s murder – happens early on in the story, and though Starr must recount the events of that night numerous times throughout the book, my sorrowful emotions never faded. I didn’t grow tired of her tears or visions of Khalil’s blood. Starr’s PTSD and grief only increased my desire for justice to be served. This tragic event opens Starr’s eyes to the racism she’s overlooked in her friend Hailey, teaches her how to trust and be vulnerable with her boyfriend Chris, and forces her to settle her identity crisis regarding her behavior at school versus in Garden Heights.
The story doesn’t solely focus on Starr, but likewise highlights the hardships Seven and Maverick endure that in turn affect the whole family. Though Seven prefers to live with the Carters, he wishes to care for his younger half-sisters who live with his mother, Iesha. Her constantly choosing her significant other, a drug lord and gang leader named King, over her children puts a strain on her and Seven’s relationship. Meanwhile, Maverick is torn between moving his children to a safer neighborhood and staying in Garden Heights with the hope of making his community better.
We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of Black people.
– Black Panther Party Ten-Point Program, number seven
The Hate U Give delivers brief history lessons about the Black Panther Party presented as Maverick’s reassessment of Starr’s knowledge regarding what he’s taught her. His emphasis on the political party’s beliefs is the driving force of the story and keeps Starr’s desire for reform alive. Though legal changes like the Civil Rights Act of 1968 have been curated to prevent racial discrimination, the Black Panthers’ desires listed in the Ten-Point Program have yet come to fruition. Those who read The Hate U Give will be encouraged to fight for equality, not letting the lives of the murdered victims be in vain.
I know there are many schools across America that have banned this book from the curriculum, but for those of you who can or are studying this novel please consider the following topics for a critical analysis essay.
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