8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller!
“Absolutely riveting!” —Jason Reynolds
“Stunning.” —John Green
“This story is necessary. This story is important.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Heartbreakingly topical.” —Publishers … Green
“This story is necessary. This story is important.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Heartbreakingly topical.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A marvel of verisimilitude.” —Booklist (starred review)
“A powerful, in-your-face novel.” —Horn Book (starred review)
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.
Want more of Garden Heights? Catch Maverick and Seven’s story in Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas’s powerful prequel to The Hate U Give.
more
An excellent social commentary. I found the book helped me to better understand the experience and impact of racial profiling and police brutality. The author’s direct and emotional style brought the issue to life in a real and inspiring way.
Told from a unique perspective of a High school girl from the “black side” of town who attends an upscale “white” high school. She is confronted with serious adult situations in which the reader is privy to her thoughts and reasoning behind her decisions. The characters are lively, large, substantial, and real.
This is the kind of book that changes the way the reader views the world. It’s a confronting and challenging story and demands that the reader sit up and take notice. It’s essential.
A tragic story of the times we live in. I vacillated between anger and sorrow, knowing this story while fiction, is all too true. Well written, in a teenagers voice.
**This is my review for the audiobook on Audible (original review posted – 2017)
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin is off the charts AMAZING, in every way! If I had to choose a book of the year award, it would go to this book…I would vote today, right now, without even waiting to see who else is in the running. Get this book; it is well worth the credit, the listen, the read, and more.
I will not go into details with what this book is about because you can read about it in the description. As you sit and decide if this book is for you or not, just know that IT IS! It is a book for everyone, teens on up. (Due to language profanities, some parents might want to first listen/read it themselves and then decide if it is age appropriate for their kids. It will vary from person to person, and some of you may even choose not to listen, yourselves, because of that. I am a high school teacher, and although I do not allow my students to speak as such in the classroom, I would not think twice about adding this book to my curriculum (with approval, of course) because, yes, IT IS THAT GOOD and so very IMPORTANT!)
The writing of Angie Thomas is outstanding, and if I had read the book, rather than listened to the audiobook, I would have still given it 5-stars. I didn’t read it though, I listened to it. I cannot even believe how awesome, how amazing, how absolutely FANTASTIC Bahni Turpin did as narrator!! I did not want her to stop! She held my interest throughout 100% of the book…from the first word to the last. She is the best narrator I have ever listened to. She brought the characters and events to life and never omce let down. For that reason, I definitely feel that listening to the book, instead of reading it, made my experience that much better. I would have rated it 10 stars if I could have. So, in this case, I recommend the audiobook over the print and kindle versions because you must hear her performance – it will be like getting the best of both worlds!!
The storyline is fit for today’s time. Sadly, it is the reality of our world today. However, if you take the time to really listen and hear the message, you will walk away better, stronger, and possibly more educated than you were before you started. As I stated before, I am a high school teacher. I have been teaching in the same inner-city district for 18 years. My students are the best and most-amazing people in my life. They are my kids, my family, and our world’s future. I have built strong, supportive, and trusting relationships with my students, yet I do not always understand the decisions they make. This is mainly because I am no longer a teenager, myself. But, it’s also because I didn’t grow up like them…my home life and my experiences were different than theirs are. Things that worked well for me as a teen, books I read, and decisions I made are not comparable at all to their needs and the lives they live in today’s world. Therefore, it’s important I keep learning and growing as an individual, too. In a successful classroom, we all bring something to the table that contributes to everyone’s learning and growth. Fortunately, being different is what keeps us going, learning, and growing together every single day. Still, it’s important that I take advantage of every opportunity that will help me gain a better understanding of my students, because in the long run, this will help me reach more of them in the classroom. This book brought me one step closer to that. Thank you, Angie Thomas! Your writing is brilliant, and I cannot wait to introduce this book to my students.
You do not have to be a teacher for this book to make a strong, lasting impact. Black or white, rich or poor, male or female, seniors or teens, reading this book will open your eyes to many problems people face today. It will motivate you to speak up and work toward making changes that our world so desperately needs. It will give you something to think about, and think about, and think about some more. And, hopefully, it will give you a new sense of understanding and compassion for one another.
I highly recommend the book The Hate U Give to everyone, everywhere. I know this review is long, but I wanted to stress why I feel it deserves recognition. Again, Bahni Turpin, your performance was out of this world…keep it up! Angie Thomas, thank you SO MUCH for writing this book, speaking these words, and making a difference…your hard work has paid off and you are very much appreciated! And, to you, if you are still reading my review, thank you for making it this far! I hope my words helped you decide if this is the book for you! 🙂
I loved the book because it explains about other peoples life
Incredible story. I will say that this is a must read for teens and young adults.
Excellent read Very timely message. Loved it
Excellent, realistic view of our world today!
A book every person should read!
This was such a good read about racial conflicts we live with on a daily basis, how standing together and speaking up can bring us one step closer to unity and healing.
This book is so great. It teaches you the things of the world that you barely knew before. It will get you thinking about it in every decision you make. And when you think the book is almost done, something else pops up. A great page-turner.
A novel everyone should read.
This is a must read!!
A lot of people don’t want to read or see the movie because they have preconceived notions that this book automatically depicts African-Americans as hating cops but that’s the total opposite of what this book is. You hate how the system handles the cases but you don’t hate ALL cops and this book captures that essence. I find the characters lovable and relatable and I think anyone can relate to these human experiences such as loving friends and family, losing friendships, etc.
the Hate You Give is an incredibly engrossing and informative book that provides many insights into the lives of people of color and how we, as a nation, can help change some of the many obstacles they face on a daily basis.
I definitely couldn’t stop reading it. If you haven’t read it. Please do.
This book could have hit more people if not so ghetto. I know this boo is needed with the black lives matter movement, but its as if it was written by a 5th grader. I expected more from this book.
I’d been meaning to read this book since it first came out almost two years ago. I took it home two summers ago planning to read it while school was out. I did not. Then I planned to try to read it last year before I went to the big ALA Convention in New Orleans this past summer and had the chance to maybe meet the author. I did not. I didn’t get to meet her, although I did go see a panel she was a part of. Maybe if I’d read the book, I’d have made sure to get to meet her, but of course her lines were really long, so without having read her book, I didn’t plan out getting into her line early enough. I will definitely want the chance to meet her, next time there is a chance. I ended up finally reading the book shortly before the movie came out this past fall. I have to say that I loved the book and they did a pretty good job with the movie. Some of my favorite parts were of course left out of the movie. Like, as I read, so many different times I would get the theme song from The Fresh Prince of BelAir stuck in my head. That was not inserted into the movie as much as I’d have liked it to be. As you would expect, they left other things out of the movie, as well as changing some things. While I get some of the things they changed, I don’t agree with a couple of them from the end of the movie. Like the part with her younger brother and the gun and the cops, don’t like that change or agree with it. I do get why they left the end without the moving part in the movie. Even though in a way, it kind of defeats the way the ending should go according the book.
A great book, a great story, a great new author that I can’t wait to read more by!
Due to the world events, I seriously recommend reading this. It was heart rendering, tear threatening, put you in your place; make you realize just how screwed up this world we live in can and may just be. Not everyone is bad. Not everyone is good. Be a change. Make a change.