The Hate U Give in The Challenge Factory

Sep 27, 2018 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-friends, heroine-i-adore, tear-jerker, brother-sister, realistic-fiction, inspiring, social-issues, mgr, heartbreaking

There isn't enough stars available for me to give this book, it it beyond 5 stars. So beyond 5 stars.

The Hate U Give,
is real,
it is truth,
no lies told.
Powerful,
meaningful,
inspiring.
Heartbreaking,
anger/rage inducing.

It is 2018, and it disgusts me that we live in world where this book is life for some, for many. Fucking police brutality, systematic racism has to stop. What makes someone think that their white skin makes them any better then some with brown or black? It doesn't. We live in ...more

17 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2019 Book Concierge rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: coming-of-age, audio, movie, racism, debut, young-adult, concierge, library, social-commentary

Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the narrator of this contemporary novel that deals with some major social issues facing America. Starr and her friend Khalil are driving home from a party when they are stopped by a policeman, presumably for a broken taillight. Things go badly and Starr is left reeling from the trauma of the event, as well as her guilt and fear.

I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. Starr is, in many respects, a typical teenager. Book on CD performed by Bahni Turpin

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is the narrator of this contemporary novel that deals with some major social issues facing America. Starr and her friend Khalil are driving home from a party when they are stopped by a policeman, presumably for a broken taillight. Things go badly and Starr is left reeling from the trauma of the event, as well as her guilt and fear.

I love the way that Thomas writes these characters. Starr is, in many respects, a typical teenager. She has a boyfriend (who she’s kept hidden from her parents), she works part time in her father’s store, she fights with her brothers, and hangs out with her girlfriends. But she also struggles with leading a dual life: Starr from the hood, whose father is an ex-con and former gang member, vs Starr the good pupil at a predominantly white private school.

Thomas gives Starr a relatively stable home environment: a family-owned house (including a fenced yard and vegetable garden), neighbors who look out for one another, and, most importantly, two parents who love one another, work hard, set a good example and try to give their children the education they’ll need to succeed. She also gives Starr a couple of very good friends, both at her high school and in the neighborhood.

The realities of living in an urban neighborhood that is stressed by unemployment, gangs, poverty, drug use and broken families are all present, however. Her parents give her “the talk” when she’s about twelve – No, not the birds and the bees talk (though they do that as well), but the “here’s how to behave when the police stop you” talk. Something that most parents never even consider a necessity. Starr is keenly aware of the differences in her own situation as opposed to that of her neighborhood acquaintances; and of the even larger differences between her home and that of her fellow students at her privileged high school.

I thought Thomas did a good job showing Starr’s emotional swings; she’s scared, angry, anxious, and numb. But she also experiences love, joy and humor. There are no easy answers here, and in fact 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.

Bahni Turpin does a superb job narrating the audio. She really shows the range of Starr’s emotions as the events unfold. I also liked the way she interpreted Maverick and Lisa (Starr’s parents), as well as her boyfriend, Chris. It’s an emotionally charged story, but Turpin never over-acted the story. Brava.
...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Jun 23, 2017 Kristin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2021, contemporary, stand-alones, read-in-2018, favorites

Breathtaking! I loved everything about it. This has become one of my favorite novels ever and will probably be my favorite book of 2018. I can't wait for more Angie Thomas novels.

Re-Read (January 2021): 5 stars
This book still hits! So many complex topics and issues discussed and I’m simply amazed. ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2019 Shawnda M. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

16 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. What 16 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. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

I think this is a must read for people of all races and all ages! You've probably heard a lot about this book and if not at least the movie adaptation. The topic is heavy. It's all about the BLM movement, why it exists, and shows a scenario of a policeman crossing the line and taking an unarmed black teenager's life. However that is not all the story is about it is also the story of family, love, loss, while showing how that injustice goes on to affect everyone in its path. Reading about this young girl’s situation and the after-effects of watching her childhood friends die in her arms in front of her brought me through so many emotions.

I would like to say I never felt once that this book paints all cops in a bad light but discusses what really happens when a situation like this occurs and the officer is acquitted of all wrongdoing. I really did like that about this book. I love that it spoke about how standing up for yourself, and your community can be done without violence. Use your voice and speak up! Be the light that educates, be the change!

This was a quick read. The story and conversations were realistic and compelling. At the end of this novel I had cried, I had laughed, and above all, I had learned something about an experience I have never even thought twice about being involved in. I am so thankful I read this book, it gave me a lot of insight and food for thought as I strive to be a better member of society and gave me a whole new appreciation for all those who have to live through this sort of thing every day. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Jul 24, 2018 Avigail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-book, 2018, own

Wow! What a book one of the best books I read.
I hate it because of the hype I decided to let the hype to withdraw a little bit and then read it, but I watched the trailer and absolutely loved it and said that I need to read it before I will watch the movie.
The writing is fantastic, the story is fantastic, I absolutely know that is a book that I will suggest the book to everyone that loves to read no matter what age they are.
I know it is a book that I would like to reread it every year. It is a b ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2017 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Such a powerful and amazing book. I loved Starr and her family. The sad thing is this isn't fiction at all but happening to African America men and women all the time. We see it on the news to often then should be allowed. This book makes you feel everything, the fear Starr felt and the anguish at losing her best friend. She is so torn between the world she lives and the the neighborhood she is from. I LOVED Angie Thomas and this book and HIGHLY recommend this to everyone. This is a real problem ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2017 Krissy marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: ovrdr-libby, pgs-400-499, audiobook-tbr, book2film, cover-color-white

2018 Popsugar Challenge Prompt #14: A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you

3 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2017 Laurel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

Some books are over-hyped. I don't believe this is one. The story itself is worth opening the cover, but I think it's the characters that will stay with you. Not only the lead, Starr. What a heavy name for such young shoulders. But each of the people here, all the way down the line. I can see how they hunch against a counter, smile out of the corner of their mouths, hear a laugh escape out of their lips. They're so human.

And it's that humanity which opens your heart to take in the message we all ...more

1 like · Like · see review