The Hate U Give Diaries

Hello everybody, and welcome to another Diaries Edition of The CW Torch. In this post, I will be reviewing The Hate U Give written by Angie Thomas. This book was definitely one of the most hyped up Young Adult novels of last year, and is still continuing it’s stride on being a New York Times Bestseller. It even earned movie rights, before the book even came out (the cast lineup is already out-and OMG). Which to me are all signs that this book is worth talking about and it was. So, without further ado, let’s get into the review. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Dates Read: 03/16/2018-03/25/2018 Final Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor black 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, Khalil's death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr’s best friend at school suggests he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have little interest in investigating the incident, protestors take to the streets and Starr’s neighborhood becomes a war zone. 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 destroy her community. It could endanger her life. Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty. Story: The Hate U Give gripped me from the very first page, where we start right off with the devastating incident that ended in the death of Starr’s friend. We instantly see a situation, that showcases how far police brutality can go. In our society today, most of the time we never get the full story. In the media, they tend to focus on one side of the story, but I felt The Hate U Give showed both sides of the equation. What I loved about this story, was that not only did we hear Starr’s voice on that matter. But, we also saw it on the other side of the spectrum, by family members of the Cop who shot Khalil. Hearing both sides of the story, made you think really hard on who to believe. Both sides eventually had Starr caught in the middle, and gave her the choice to stay silent or say something. But, not only do we see Starr struggling to find her inner justice, we also see her struggling to fit into society. Starr lives in Garden Heights, a town overrun by gangs and drug dealers, but her and her brother go to a White-Predominant school. While she has friends in both places, she never feels like she truly belongs. This brought up some interesting discussion as well, not only with understanding what racism really is. But, it also brings up the topic of inter-racial couples, with Starr’s boyfriend being White. These topics are something you don’t normally see in Young Adult novels, which I really appreciated on Angie Thomas’ part. I have found that Young Adult novels aren't very diverse, and tend to follow a young white male or female main character. Until recently, we rarely get the chance to see the life of a young black teen. I think this story was necessary to be told, especially in today’s society. It really showcased that white privilege does exist, and it allows young readers to see from a different perspective. Which I can appreciate as a young mixed-race adult. Writing: There isn't really anything bad I can say about Angie Thomas’ writing, which is surprising, especially for a debut author. I thought she told this important story very well, by having us feel connected to the main character, while also tackling some very heavy topics. I thought she inter-wove these two aspects of the novel, brilliantly. Angie was a master at capturing emotion, because this was a very emotional and hard-hitting story, but I really felt it, hearing from Starr’s perspective.

If there were a couple of things to nit-pick, I did find a lot of editing issues. These could’ve been easily fixed by the editors, and normally I wouldn't say anything if they were minor. But there were a lot of them that bothered me, and took away from my reading experience. 

However, I do think that Angie Thomas masterfully tackled these issues of; racism, social injustice, grief, inner-city struggle, and police brutality. It wasn’t eye-opening to me, because I know and am aware that all of these issues exist. But, I think it helped young-readers who might not be able to relate to Starr's situation, understand people in those types of situations, which I think is something very powerful. Characters: One of the reasons why I adored this book so much, was because of the characters. The Hate U Give, wasn’t just a story to bring to light important issues of today’s society. But, it also told the story of some very relatable and lovable characters. I really appreciated the fact that Angie Thomas decided to tell a story with each of the characters, and not just Starr’s story. I thought it really helped shape and mold Starr as a character, by seeing how she interacts with her family and friends. Starr Carter: Starr was the most relatable character I have read from, since getting back into the Young Adult category of novels. Not just from the color of her skin or the thickness of her hair, but because of the person she is and has grown into by the end of the novel. She is someone who really cares about her friends and family, so much so that sometimes they walk all over her. Which is something I can relate to, being someone who cares about my family and friends so much, that sometimes I forget to take care of my well-being. Which I feel is something that Starr deals with a lot, especially, with her friend Hayley and even Kenya. A part from her love of Harry Potter, I just felt that Starr was an amazing character. She was a character you can trust, and someone who was extremely mature for her age. Which was refreshing to see in a Young Adult Contemporary, she didn't make a fool of herself or make stupid decisions, which is something you don’t read often. Or is just something I haven't come across yet, since getting back into reading. Lisa and Maverick Carter (Starr’s parents): I absolutely loved Lisa and Maverick as Starr's parents, to me they were a true depiction of a lot of real couples who have been married for that long. While they have their many struggles, which Angie Thomas did not shy away from revealing, they still loved each other through it all. You could really tell, that with all of their problems, they were fighting hard to stick together for the love of their kids. Why I loved these two parents so much, was because you got to see both sides of their relationship. You got to see their undying love for each other, and how they loved to embarrass their kids by dancing like fools. But, you also got to see the hardships of being a parent. The author showed Lisa’s feelings about Seven not being her son, and how difficult it was at first to accept that. But, she also showed how much Maverick has grown since getting out of prison, and how hard he worked to make sure none of his kids ended up in his situation. I loved reading both perspectives, of what it means to be a married couple with children, because most of the time we get one or the other. The loving, perfect couple or the struggling, about to divorce couple. A lot of the times we don't even see the parents in the story, so I found these two to be really refreshing, and respected them immensely. Uncle Carlos: Just like Starr's parents, I loved reading from the perspective or another adult. Especially, through Uncle Carlos, who was almost a second-dad for Starr. Being the person who took care of Starr, Seven, and Sekani, when their father was in jail. I wish we got more of Uncle Carlos, because I felt like he would've been in interesting perspective to this story. Being an African American Cop, who knows and works with the man who killed Khalil. While we did see glimpses of him being this father-figure and protector to Starr, I would've liked to see more of him. He was still one of my favorite characters despite not getting a lot from his perspective. Chris: Chris was one of my favorite characters, even though I didn't like him very much in the beginning, when we found out why Starr wasn’t talking to him. He did grow on me, and I loved seeing an inter-racial couple in this story. He grew on me, after he decided to learn more about Starr, and wanted to know more about how and where she grew up. I also, loved the fact that while they did have different skin color, they were practically the same. Two corny teenagers who love Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Final Thoughts: All in all, I absolutely loved and adored The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. I thought this was an extremely important book to be brought out into the world of Young Adult Novels, that’s proved it’s importance by how successful it has been. Not only were the characters extremely lovable, except for Hayley (let’s not talk about Hayley). But, the story was extremely impactful, emotional, and at the same time hilarious. While I did have a few issues with the pacing of the story and the editing, I still enjoyed it immensely. I hope you all enjoyed this edition of The Hate U Give Diaries, as you can probably tell, I really enjoyed this book! As always, here is a Vlog showing my reading experience of The Hate U Give. 

The Hate U Give Diaries Vlog TTFN and Happy Reading! Chynna Williams @TheCWTorch Social Media Twitter- @chynnaw16 Instagram- @Bigleaguephoto