The Hate U Give

Sixteen-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. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. 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 upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.

Trigger warnings: shooting deaths, gang violence, racism, adult language, drug use, drinking

My rating: five out of five stars

This book was a powerful read. I cried repeatedly listening to this audiobook. 

A story about a girl who witnesses the death of her friend at the hands of a police officer is all too relevant today's climate. 

As a white person, it is hard to imagine, but this author does an amazing job of putting you into the shoes of this black young person, seeing the world through her eyes.