The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Spring 2019 Group Read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

I chose to read this book solely because it was the only one of the 3 group reads I could borrow. This is not a book I would have chosen to read on my own.
I listened to the audio version narrated by Bahni Turpin. The narration was truly outstanding. It was absolutely the best thing about this book.

As for the story itself…frankly, most of the points I'd like to make I would never feel comfortable discussing in a public forum. It was a good story, but it did drag on a lot. I don't feel like this is a must read for teens. Unfortunately, as a parent, one thing that remains with me is probably not at all what the author intended. (view spoiler)[ There are several times throughout the course of the book where Starr can hear shots fired while at home. There is a scene in which the family rather routinely huddles in an interior room of the house as a precaution against stray bullets. Starr’s little brother is never allowed to play outside because it is too dangerous. Prior to the recent shooting, Starr was a witness to the death of her 10 year old friend in a drive by shooting. Time and again the author stresses how dangerous the neighborhood is. So I was completely flabbergasted when we find out that Starr’s parents actually earn enough money to move to a safer neighborhood. I cannot imagine living in an area where I actively feared for the safety of my children on a regular basis and choosing not to change our situation. Yes, they did eventually move, but I remain perplexed about why they waited so long. (hide spoiler)]

Amy FL

I also listened to the audio version and was so happy to see that Bahni Turpin was the narrator. She never disappoints!

The violence within Starr's community and the attitude of the police to shoot first and ask questions later was truly appalling. Starr faced many moral dilemmas throughout the story and I admired her for taking a stand despite her fear. I'll be watching the DVD soon and will be interested to see whether the movie does a good job of capturing the emotion of the story.

Brooke TX

So, I devoured this book in less than four hours. While manning the reference desk at work (it was a Sunday, the library was quiet). I don't typically read contemporary YA (I'm far enough away from my teenage years to struggle to empathize with typical teen problems, and not far away enough to view them with nostalgia), but this was an excellent story, taking a widespread social problem and personalizing it, with an easily relatable protagonist. Highly recommended.

At first I was reluctant to pick this book up because of all the hype surrounding it. I am really glad I did finally decide to read this one for the challenge.
I really liked how Starr was portrayed as being in two different worlds and the struggle within herself to figure out who she really is. This dilemma becomes even more prominent after the shooting, and I think that is what makes this book so strong. It is difficult to stand up against someone when a crime has been committed (my experience was vastly different, and yet there was still a lot of self doubt about whether to speak out or not). I think Angie Thomas did a really good job dealing with this particular aspect.
Overall, I think the book did a good job of handling a very polarizing social issue that is very "in the now."

@Amy FL
I thought the DVD was good. However, there are differences in the story (some good, some less so) and I felt like there wasn't enough time to develop a relationship with the characters in the way that happens with the book.

@Susan A
(view spoiler)[I was bothered by that a little bit too. But it was the father that was keeping the family from moving because of his Black Panther ideals and his feeling that they can't help the community if they move out of it. I can see where he is coming from to an extent, but I agree that the priority should have been keeping the kids safe. (hide spoiler)]

This was definetly worth reading. It is unfortunate that we live in a society that still judges people on the color of their skin. The book is contemporary and highlights the struggle of people of color.

I was blown away by this book. I am white, and while I have participated in rallies against police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter it has been more on principal and less because I actually identified with the people who live in fear every day. This story really brought it home to me.

Starr's code-switching (changing how she presented herself at her mostly white school vs who she was in her neighborhood) was also very well done.

I loved this one. The story was tragic and the resolution didn't seem to balance out the tragedy, but that is life sometimes. I'm not sure any other ending would have worked.

But what made this 5 stars for me was the writing. It was gorgeous.

Like Amy "the book-bat" above, I also avoided this one because of the hype it was getting. I'm glad I read this one.

I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. The realities of living in an urban neighborhood that is stressed by unemployment, gangs, poverty, drug use and broken families are all present. Thomas gives Starr a relatively stable home environment: a family-owned house, neighbors who look out for one another, and, most importantly, two parents who love one another, work hard, and set a good example for their children. The novel raises more questions than it gives solutions. But these are issues than need examining, and this is a great way to start the conversation.

I read this book when it first came out, on the recommendation of a friend.

I felt it portrayed well how the poverty stricken minority communities stick together, but are easily manipulated. Not just by the news’s, but by someone in the community. (The news certainly didn’t encourage people to riot and loot.)

The author did phase shifting perfectly. (Where Starr has to act differently around her school and around the hood.)

I'm another person who avoided reading this for ages because of the hype surrounding it, but I'm glad it got chosen as a book here and that I read it.

I felt like it gave an incredible view of what it would be like to be pulled in different directions as Starr was (as the others have mentioned the code/phase shifting), but I can't say how accurate it is given that the book is about a situation so far removed from my own.

Susan A - I understand your point on that, especially since having kids of my own.

I was happy to see that this book was one of the options this month because it also happens to be the one book read for the university that I work for this year AND Angie Thomas came to campus and spoke last night. I think the book has quite a lot of relevancy in today's society and hearing her speak last night added to my enjoyment of the book. She looks as her art is her action. She did have a real life "Hailey" in her life and there are quite a few similarities in her own life that mirrored that of the characters in the book. She was very entertaining and interesting to listen to.

As a teacher of English I've been meaning to read this for quite a while as I like to know and recommend YA fiction - although I've recently had my recommendations monitored as ONE parent didn't like the books I recommended despite the fact I wrote warnings for triggers and bad language in my recommendations. If she/and the staff who listened to her read some of the texts which are on the curriculum we wouldn't be teaching Literature at all.

I felt that The Hate U Give was an important book for teenagers to read. I live in England so some of this seems very far from my life however there has been a huge upsurge in the number of teenagers with knives, the killing of teenagers with knifes and gang membership. As a result police have been given powers to stop and search without needing a specified reason and many people fear this will lead to a return of police targeting young black men in these searches. So this book is becoming more and more relevant over this side of the pond.

As a novel I thought Starr was well characterised as was her family and the neighbourhood she lived in. Although there was a lot of action I found the beginning of this book quite slow and it took me a while to read this one, I felt it needed a bit of an edit as some things seemed to be repeated needlessly. I also felt that some of the characters - especially Chris - were just a distraction from the main story and didn't add to the overall book.

This book is a window into a world which (thankfully) I have never had to experience. I found the choices being forced on so many of the characters in the book just hit me in the gut. The characters are very well developed, and I especially I empathized with Starr's mother.

I don't read a lot of YA, but this one is done extremely well. It is an incredible first novel, and I think Angie Thomas shows great promise and I look forward to reading more from her.

As often, I had this book on my shelf for a long time. Given the overall praise, I was a bit doubtful. I often experience disappointment when I read a book that gets high ratings.
That was not the case for this book. I really enjoyed it.
Contarary to most YA novels it is not told as moralizing, and the message is given in a subtle, but very clear voice. I’m looking forward to the next novel by this author.

so i actually read this a few months ago, before it was selected as a group read and i'm typically not a huge re-reader - but since i struggled with Facism and don't see myself finishing it - i got the audiobook of this to listen to (i've heard nothing but good things about the audio)

will be back with my inputs on the audio vs. reading it like i did

just finished the audiobook. Love the narrator and I'm glad I listened instead of read. What a powerful book. I just got totally sucked in and couldn't put it down.

I liked that it was realistic and didn't end with everything hunky dory. I think that would have ruined the story. The injustice really got to me. There were times I just wanted to scream at the characters. Or just yell about how unfair it all was. And it's really sad that this is real life.

This one will stick with me for a while I think.

Well, I can't say I enjoyed this book. I don't read much YA, but of course this book goes beyond the drama of high school kids into something much more serious. It took me a couple of weeks to read it - I would read a couple of chapters then put it down, then pick it up again days later. I did like the MC, Starr, and admired her courage. I also liked her mom, but was more on the fence about her father and other family members and friends.

This isn't a book genre I would normally read, but I liked it and rated it 4 stars. I thought it was well written and I can see how the subject matter would be good for teens and give more awareness to racism in our communities.

YA issue books usually provoke a "meh" reaction from me, but this one was a wonderful surprise. It did what the best books do, by taking me inside a reality that is not my own and showcasing a voice that is not heard often enough.

I agree with Donna, I don't think any other ending would have felt appropriate. It was realistic while allowing for hope for the future.

I thought this book was outstanding! The author portrayed the characters in a way that made them come alive for me. She handled the difficult content well. I definitely have more empathy for the characters in their situations now.

i finished listening to this today - it was a re-read for me, but my first time listening - so my focus was more on that (I had actually just read it like a month before it was picked for a group read, so it was relatively fresh in my mind)

i can see why Bahni Turpin has won audiobook awards for her narration of this book - i loved her portrayl of Star - it added another level of reality because you felt her reactions even more than just words on a page

i gave the book 4.5 stars when i read it and then the narration 5 stars