The content below is spoiler-free.
Angie Thomas’s YA novel The Hate U Give has been recently adapted into a critically-acclaimed film, and although I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, I can’t remember the last time I was this hyped for a movie. I love this book and its dynamic characters, messages with regards to social activism and current events, and heartwarming moments. YA novels don’t have a fantastic reputation for their literary value, but this one’s an exception.
I’ve been an avid reader of YA for years to an extent bordering on masochistic. I’d say about 60-70% of what I read is terrible. When I was 12, I loved Twilight. (Thanks, Stephenie Meyer, for distorting my view of healthy relationships for years.) If you’re worried, The Hate U Give has no sparkling vampires, no disgusting gender-role-polluted heterosexual romance, no romanticization of abuse, and lots of relevant social commentary.
Thomas first started The Hate U Give in college as a story inspired by the police shooting of Oscar Grant, and was inspired to return to it after the murders of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Sandra Bland. The novel follows Starr Carter, a teenage girl whose friend Khalil is shot by a police officer. Starr is torn between speaking out about Khalil’s unjust death and keeping quiet for her own safety, while also dealing with issues like casual microaggressions at the mostly-white high school she attends and gang violence within her neighborhood.
I cried a lot while reading this book. Starr has plenty of normal teenager problems, like romance, friendships, school, family—but she also has to deal with anti-black racism ranging from the mildly irritating to the dangerously violent, all portrayed in a way that’s realistic and touching. The novel also touches on issues of gender and intersectionality (her friend Hailey turns out to be a pretty token white feminist), and racism against other communities, such as Asians.
And that’s why this is such an important book. There’s not a typical YA allegory here— “oh, the people with magic powers are a metaphor for the oppressed, but we’re not going to portray actual oppressed people”—but just showing it as it is, in all of its painful accuracy. Angie Thomas doesn’t shy away from the ugly, but she still shows a lot of heartwarming moments. So if you’re looking for an accessible read that comments on a lot of relevant societal issues, then pick up The Hate U Give.
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