The Hate You Give discussion

Plot Summary: The story is about a teenage girl named Starr who is kind of living a double life. She is from a poor neighborhood, but in an effort to give her a better life, her parents sent her to a prep school where she is kind of the token black girl. Starr decided to go out to a party with her hometown friends and met up with her childhood best friend Khalil. After the party get broken up, the two run and Khalil offers Starr a ride. The two get pulled over and after the officer is clearly racial profiling, the situation turns dark quick. Khalil ends up getting shot and does not live through this. For a while Starr was a hidden witness to the story as it began to blow up everywhere. No one knew she was the one who was there, and as the society around her begins to fold, she decides to speak up on the truth. Starr leads an incredible movement to gain justice for not only Khalil, but all of the black community.

Personal Review: I was extremely excited to start this book! I had watched the movie when it first came out, and I just knew the book would be good if not better. This is another book that I think everyone needs to read, if not watch the movie. It is so impactful, and I could not help but sob through both. It is hard to read, not because of difficulty, but because it is difficult to hear that human beings actually treat others like this. People do not deserve to be killed for living their life. I could feel every emotion within this book, and many times it felt gut wrenching. Though I knew what was going to happen going into the book, it still left me on the edge of my seat. I think it really addressed these difficult topics well. It also teaches the lesson of sticking up for what you believe in.

Suggested Reading: I think this movie is another good one for high school students. I would say it could also be another good, required book. I enjoyed this book a bit more than “All American Boys” but both were extremely impactful and worthy of being taught.