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The Hate U Give - Book Review

madgirlthoughts

If ever a book was relevant to some of the events of 2020, The Hate U Give is that book.


Told from the perspective of Starr, a young black girl, who witnesses the shooting of her unarmed friend by a police officer, THUG dives into the conflict around racially motivated violence and police brutality in America.


Starr is a character that I think everyone will love. She's a normal teenage girl, who loves Harry Potter, is dealing with boy problems and self image issues, on top of dealing with being the only black girl at her rich white prep school and growing up in one of the roughest neighbourhoods around.


I love Starr as a character because the journey she goes on through the book, teaches people about the power they hold in speaking the truth about things people don't want to hear. It's so much easier to look away and keep quiet, but Starr goes from hiding to shining as she fights for justice for her friend.


I read this book in the space of nine hours on a flight to Florida, because I genuinely could not put it down. It makes you think, laugh and cry, occasionally all at the same time.


I cannot recommend this book enough.


The writing is raw and unapologetic at dealing with the issues of systemic racism, privilege, police violence and the power of speaking truth.


Also, side note - the film adaptation is an amazing watch too! I'll probably review that separately but they do such a good job of capturing the heart of the book, with a stellar cast bringing the expertly written characters to life.


My favourite quote...

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

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