The Hate U Give: A Printz Honor Winner

I know I’m a little late to the program with this one as I’ve been hearing people gush about this book for quite a while already — and rightly so! I just finished it and what an amazing story! Though The Hate U Give is marketed as a Young Adult book, I feel that this inspiring book that should be on everyone’s TBR list — regardless of age, gender or race. --The Setting -- The story revolves around and is told from the point of view of Star Carter, a 16 year old black girl who is trying to live in two different worlds: one being Garden Heights, the all black crime-ridden neighborhood where she lives and grew up in — and the other being Williamson Prep, the predominately white upper middle-class high school to which her parents send her and her two brothers. While at school, she carefully measures her behavior, limits her slang and generally portrays an easy-going attitude as she tries to fit in with her rich white schoolmates. She even has a white boyfriend, Chris, whose existence she’s not yet told her father about because she’s worried he’ll judge her for dating a boy who isn’t black. Though it can be challenging at times, Staar is always careful to keep her two worlds separate. --Her Family -- Staar has a great relationship with her family and it’s evident that she loves them. Her mother works at the hospital and is an excellent role model of a strong, no-nonsense woman. Her father, a former gang member, is now a respected member of the community having left his gang life behind and now works hard to provide for his children and be a positive role model for them. He owns the neighborhood grocery store at which Staar helps out from time to time. But things aren’t easy for Staar and her family. She lives in a neighborhood where drive-by shootings, drug lords, gang leaders, and turf wars are a part of everyday life. --The Incident -- But one night her world is shattered when she and her childhood best friend Khalil are pulled over by a policeman for a routine traffic stop. The officer pulls Khalil out of the car and, even though Khalil was unarmed and made no threatening moves toward the officer, the policeman shoots him in the back three times, killing him. So Staar ends up being the only witness to what actually happened — and her life and the life of those around her entirely change as a result. Though traumatized and enraged, Staar is faced with a choice: stay silent or accept who she truly is in order to obtain justice for Khalil. Now I will say that the scene of Khalil’s murder is horrifying and gut-wrenching, and regretfully, not uncommon, as many of us have seen on the news far too often in recent times. Still, that didn’t make it this part of the book any easier — or less heartbreaking — to read. The young man’s funeral was equally heart-hurting, as we saw firsthand how destroyed his family and friends were. Instead of reading a byline in a newspaper or hearing a brief clip on the television, we are fully immersed in the situation in this story and are placed in the shoes of those who are directly involved. In this way, the story was so raw and so real that at times, I forgot that I was reading fiction. The author did an excellent job of bringing this story to life, allowing us to empathize with everyone involved. We read about the challenging issues facing the black community in the news, but this novel brought them to life for the reader, allowing us to see the lives behind the new bylines. In this way, we can’t help but realize that things are often a lot more complicated and multilayered than portrayed by the media. --The Aftermath -- Still grieving Khalil’s death, Staar is put in an extremely tough position given that she’s the only witness to the incident. Though it may seem clear to an outsider of what the best course of action is for her to take, things are not always as easy and clear-cut as they may seem — and it’s uncertain how we would react or not react if we found ourselves in a similar situation. Following the aftermath of the shooting, I felt the author did an excellent job of portraying the fear, confusion, rage, and mistrust that Staar experiences as she processes her friend’s brutal murder and through it all, tries to find herself and her voice in the middle of the fallout. But not only that, we see firsthand how such a violent, tragic and senseless loss can shake a community to its core. --The Police -- Though the officer clearly was at fault here, I felt that the author didn’t demonize the police or place all of the blame on them. Yes, there are definitely some bad police officers out there, but there are also good ones. In fact, Staar’s uncle was a police officer who, on more than one occasion, let her know that not all of the officers at his precinct are trigger-happy racists and that many of his fellow officers vehemently disagreed with the action of their corrupt colleague and those like him. --My Verdict -- The Hate U Give is phenomenal. This is the brutally honest kind of book that will stay with you for a long time after having read it and perhaps may cause you to look at life differently after having read it. At the very least, it may cause us to question that which we’ve come to accept as “normal”. This was a gripping story that not only packed an emotional punch but was also an excellent fictional treatment of real-life racial issues facing America today. Though Ms. Thomas openly treats the issue of police brutality, she also demonstrates in a very real way the day to day violence plaguing inner-city neighborhoods. This is a timely book whose importance cannot be overstated. Though the book deals with heavy issues and is not always comfortable to read, there are plenty of light and fun parts as well — especially the often amusing scenes in which Staar interacts with her friends and family. While the book will make you cry, it will, in places, make you laugh with joy as well. Throughout the book, the author weaves in themes of police brutality, racial profiling, hard choices, injustice, white privilege how young black men get pressured into dealing drugs, the challenges of living in gang-ridden neighborhoods, the everyday violence and danger that people living inner-city neighborhoods face — and does it with expert storytelling. This is an honest and compelling book that I hope will be around and in people’s minds for many years to come. Definitely a 5-star read for me. Recommended!!! This review was originally posted on my blog at rogerhyttinen.com.

This book takes you inside Starr's head and helps you not only see what she sees but feel what she feels. She is a high school girl at a party where she doesn’t feel comfortable. She comes across an old friend, Khalil. They are just chatting and catching up when a fight breaks out and a gun is fired. They don’t stop to find out what is going on, they run with everyone else. “I don’t try to see who got shot or who did it. You can’t snitch if you don’t know anything.” They escape, and are headed home, listening to some music, when they get pulled over by the police. Khalil is annoyed and Starr is scared. He tries to reassure her that it’s going to be alright, but when he opens the car door to check on her, the cop shoots him. Her parents come and get her. She is sick and numb. Starr had watched another friend die. Natasha was killed in a drive by shooting by a gang member as the two of them played in the water from a fire hydrant on a hot day. The three of them had been friends. “Tighter than the inside of Voldemort’s nose.” “I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.” I love the way we get to know all different types of people in the book who are multi-dimensional. There’s Starr’s older brother, Seven, and her younger brother Sekani. Her father, Big Mav, and her mother, Lisa. There’s a list of characters too big to name in a little book review, it’s a whole neighborhood and then some, but it never gets unmanageable. Sometimes it gets confusing when authors introduce too many people, but not here. Thomas introduces them one by one into the action with situations and characteristics that make them stand on their own like real people. There are so many facets to the story, I couldn’t possibly cover them all here, but she tackles it all beautifully. Starr’s uncle, Carlos, is a cop himself. Starr is dating a white boy from her school named Chris, and they care very much about each other. Music is a major strand, the dating life of teens, social interactions, being one of the few black kids in a mostly white school her mother enrolled her in, and PTSD. The fear that Starr lived with that something bad could happen when they were stopped by a cop. The guilt Starr feels for living and for not speaking up right away. Thomas clearly depicts how Starr gets to the point where she wants to riot, but also sees the damage that the rioting does to her neighbors and neighborhood. The gang activity in the community is a large part of the story, as the head of one gang is married to Seven’s mother. The story is never simple, and yet it is clearly told and easy to follow. We see the good and the bad in the neighborhood. How belonging to gangs can provide for people even as it contributes to the decay. The way the gangs are part of the community, like it or not. Starr’s father is the former head of a gang and went to jail for three years to get out of the gang. Thomas touches on the system of drugs, addiction, selling, jails, and poverty. It is a very rich story that brings these characters beautifully to life. You half expect you could start driving and eventually pull up in front of their house. I don’t think I have a single negative to give about this book. It is wonderful – insightful, accessible, and expressive. I want everyone to read it. If I could give it more than five stars I would. It is another solid example of why I believe that some of the best authors out there are writing young adult literature and everyone should read some.

JUST DUCKING READ IT

This book definitely lives up to all the hype it gets. For that alone it deserves a 5 stars as I found it engaging, authentic with a definite story to tell. For a debut novel especially this is an excellent feat as the writing is poised and displays a felicity for the craft which was refreshing. This is a young adult novel which people need to be aware of. Other than the protagonist being a 16 year old black girl, Ms Thomas employs the first person point of view throughout and keeps the writing simple. Since we see everything from Starr’s POV we can get asides and commentary which set tone for other characters and a lack of detail in other people motivations. Usually this would be an issue but not here - as an example some of my favourite characters were Starr’s momma and Daddy who get the most space in the book after Starr. They speak, fight, flirt with each other, love their family and bicker. But we never get their internal history and motivations. In most cases this would bother me as they are the idealized versions of parents - supportive and engaged where even their bickering is cute and funny. But this makes sense since we are seeing them through a loving daughter eyes. The POV helps here as Ms Thomas can avoid detail and monologues and keep the story clipping along. The parents are the most detailed characters but this is true of most - the boyfriend, the best friends etc. They appear and have personality but this is Starr’s story through and through. Here the narrative techniques of YA help the novel - the personal tone, the young protagonist, the lack of detailed perspectives prevent the story from getting cluttered or, surprisingly, too dour. Despite the subject matter this is an optimistic book. Again the choice of a younger girl who has the love and support of her family allow for this. I found myself rooting for Starr and her drive. In an older character I would have expected more weariness and that drive and passion would have become naiveté. Even incidents like a chapter on the prom and mean girls in high school were additive. I also must commend the environmental details Ms Thomas put into the novel. The internalized understanding that Starr has of poverty, gang violence and racism was both heartbreaking and real. It’s not subtle and Starr explains it a little too much but perhaps it is needed. Be prepared to be bludgeoned - it made me uncomfortable in parts and made me stop and argue on my head for and against but I think that’s the intent. At time’s Ms Thomas seems to be responding to every criticism made against protests again police violence or the racism black Americans face. Also, this is a very American book. The racial experience that Starr faces is American so it takes a little while in the novel to internalize if you’re not American. So, for example, the Asian experience in North America will be different, modes of speech will be different etc. But that’s ok - after a while none of this matters as the story grows into a more universal one about the response to violence and finding the courage to try to change society. Frankly, for all the analysis I could do for the novel, around 40% on the emotional hook caught me and I sped through the rest. I found that the book is more contained in the beginning as Starr is effectively in shock at the shooting and trying to keep a buttoned down attitude. But as the novel progressed the “feels” come and I was swept along. I could speak about the themes about the courage to speak up your truth in the face of fear, which is the part that spoke to me the most and made me choke up but I think the parts which will speak to each person will be different. Highly recommended. Believe the hype; read it as as it gives a small voice to the people whose lives have been lost. Irrespective of race that matters.

一気に読める傑作です。アメリカ社会に関するある程度の知識がないと分かりづらい部分もありますが、トータルでは理解できると思います。f**k や s**t などのスラングはほとんど見開きごとに出てきますね（笑）。 この本はアメリカの人種差別問題 Black Lives Matter を知るには格好の材料ですが、Young Adult Novel の分野で、よくここまでリアルな内容にしたものだと思います。若い人向けと言うことで、最後はいくらかの希望を持たせる終わり方になっていますが、決してご都合主義の予定調和的な結末にはせず、読者に対する問題提起がされています。映画化もされていて、そちらも素晴らしい。映画と原作ではいくつかの違いがありますが、それぞれの表現の特徴を生かして作っています。 黒人コミュニティーの日常生活が丁寧に描かれている点も、この本から学んだことの一つですが、私個人は、主人公が外界と自己の内面との間にズレを抱きながら葛藤して生きていく姿に共感を覚え、そこがこの小説の大きな魅力でした。 母親が主人公に語る素敵な言葉があります。 “Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

Ich sah das Cover, ich las den Klappentext und ich musste es mir einfach besorgen. Denn wer hat nicht die schrecklichen Nachrichten rund um die Polizeigewalt gegenüber Schwarzen in Amerika verfolgt, jüngst hat die Aktion #BlackLivesMatter für Aufsehen gesorgt und sogar große US-Weltstars zu einem politischen Statement hinreißen lassen. Eine sehr aktuelle Thematik also, großartig, dass es dazu schon ein Buch gibt - und zwar was für eins! Starr lebt in zwei völlig voneinander unterschiedlichen Welten: Wenn sie bei ihrem Papa im Laden arbeitet dann ist sie die Starr, die Slang spricht, Ausdrücke verwendet und das taffe junge Mädel raushängen lässt - und die gleichzeitig niemand bemerkt. Doch wenn sie ihre Schule in einem besseren Viertel der Stadt besucht, ist sie eine völlig andere: Hier achtet sie auf das, was sie sagt, trägt ihre teuren Markenschuhe und taucht im Tummel der Schüler unter - und fällt dennoch aufgrund ihrer Coolness auf. Die beiden Welten scheinen aufeinander zu prallen, als in einer turbulenten Nacht Starrs bester Freund aus Kindergartentagen von einem Polizisten - völlig ohne Grund - erschossen wird. Das Leben des Teenagers verändert sich komplett und Starr stellt sich immer wieder die Frage: Passen ihre beiden Welten zusammen oder ist das von vornherein zum Scheitern verurteilt? Ich kann gar nicht genug beschreiben, wie großartig dieses Buch ist. So ehrlich, so authentisch, so glaubwürdig - ab der ersten Seite war ich mitten drin in der Geschichte und fühlte sofort mit Starr mit. Dabei ist die Autorin wirklich schonungslos und geht bewusst dahin wo es weh tut - nur um den Leser zum Nachdenken zu bringen und wichtige Impulse zu geben, die zu einer wirklich tiefgründigen Reflexion führen. Selten hat mich ein Buch so ergriffen und dazu motiviert, Dinge nachzuschlagen, sie zu definieren, hinterfragen und mich letztendlich mit genau den Fragen zu beschäftigen, die das Buch stellt: Ist das, was passiert ist, tatsächlich Realität? Ja. Leider. Wie fühlen sich Betroffene in einer solchen Situation? Was macht das Geschehene mit mir? Und was ist mein Urteil? Welche Rolle spielt die Presse? Wie wichtig sind Organisationen für Betroffene? Und sind Aufstände wirklich nur sinnlos oder erfüllen sie einen tieferen Zweck? Fragen, die das Buch stellt, sie vielleicht nicht immer beantwortet, aber definitiv tiefgründig erörtert. Und das tut es nicht irgendwie, sondern für Jugendliche zugänglich und sehr leicht zu durchsteigen: Die Charaktere sind so nah am aktuellen Zeitgeist, greifen beispielsweise moderne Formulierungen auf, nennen aktuelle Musikstücke oder alte Evergreens, die heute noch bekannt sind und schafft somit nicht nur eine Bindung zum Leser, sondern gibt auch einen tollen Einblick in die Kultur des Ghettos, in dem Starr lebt. Darüber hinaus sind die Figuren sehr unterschiedlich, was eine Auseinandersetzung aus verschiedenen Blickwinkeln ermöglicht und auch unterschiedliche Zugänge schafft: Chris, Starrs weißer und reicher Freund denkt und verhält sich beispielsweise anders als Starrs Stiefschwester Kenya, die selbst im Ghetto lebt und deren Vater DER Drogenboss schlechthin ist. Ja, man mag vielleicht nicht jede Figur, aber doch ist jede auf ihre Weiße bedeutend - und genau das machte die Geschichte spannend und interessant. Ob ich es als klischeebehaftet empfunden habe? Nein, denn es wird deutlich, dass das ein möglicher Alltag in einem solchen Viertel ist, dennoch zeigt die Autorin Dinge auf, über die so schon berichtet wurde, gewährt aber auch sehr persönliche Einblicke, die aus ihrer eigenen Erfahrung stammen. Doch der wichtigste Aspekt muss erst noch genannt werden: Die Thematik. Wie oben bereits geschrieben, ist diese brandaktuell und macht sie deshalb umso wichtiger. Das Buch schafft einen klaren Rahmen, auch wenn er natürlich bei der Menge gar nicht alle geschichtlich relevanten Fakten rund um die Diskriminierung Schwarzer in den USA verarbeiten kann, dennoch bringt er einige Entwicklungen klar zur Sprache und bietet somit zumindest eine Einführung in die Thematik. Ab hier muss man dann als Leser selbst aktiv werden und Personen wie Martin Luther King, Malcom X oder das Konzept des Black Jesus recherchieren. Und genau das ist das wirklich gut gemachte an diesem Buch: Es zwingt einen, durch mehrmaliges Erwähnen dieser Schlüsselfiguren und/oder Konzepte diesen auf den Grund zu gehen, obwohl man die eigentliche Geschichte natürlich auch verstehen würde, wenn man diese Dinge nicht nachschaut. Trotzdem macht man es, weil man die Story in ihrer ganzen Fülle erschließen möchte - zumindest war das bei mir so. Zum Schluss noch ein paar Gedanken zur Sprache: Ich habe die Geschichte in Englisch gelesen und die wichtigsten Kapitel (also den Großteil, denn es gibt kaum ein Kapitel, das nicht zur Geschichte beiträgt) auf Deutsch gerereadet. Ich muss sagen: Ich bin froh, dass ich sie in Englisch gelesen habe, denn dadurch wirkt die Geschichte einfach nochmal authentischer. Die Ausdrücke, Formulierungen, Konzepte, der Slang - das alles kommt erst so richtig zum Tragen, wenn man es in der Originalsprache liest. Dennoch möchte ich anmerken, dass ich die deutsche Übersetzung als gelungen ansehe, denn sie versucht die Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Starrs, die auch völlig anders reden, deutlich zu machen - ja, sie ist natürlich beschränkt, denn genauso kann man es nicht auf Deutsch übersetzen, dennoch ist sie passend und hat zumindest einen Hauch des Originals, auch wenn es für Hater von Anglizismen ein Graus seinen dürfte in einem deutschen Werk die Ausdrücke boyfriend und girlfriend zu lesen. Wer also die Wahl hat, sollte zur englischen Ausgabe greifen, diejenigen, die es sich nicht trauen, machen aber mit der deutschen auch nichts falsch - hinzu kommt noch, dass ich das deutsche Printexemplar als sehr viel hocherwertiger empfinde als das englische Pendant. Mein Fazit: Was soll ich sagen? Großartige Charaktere, wichtige Thematik, eine authentische Sprache und eine grandiose Umsetzung - was will man mehr? Dieses Buch sollte quasi in jeder Schule gelesen, von jedem Buchfan verschlungen und von jedem Menschen inhaliert werden. Ich war verzweifelt, habe geweint, gelacht und mitgerappt und war zur selben Zeit völlig verliebt in einzelne Charaktere - wenn ein Buch das schafft, dann habe ich es hier mit einem Meisterwerk zu tun. Und genau das ist es. Noch viel mehr: Es ist eines meiner Herzensbücher im Jahr 2017 und erhält deshalb auch einen ganz besonderen Platz in meinem Bücherregal. Achso, und natürlich 5 Sterne. Lest es. Liebt es. Und reflektiert es - denn dann ist es nicht nur ein Buch mit ganz viel Herz, sondern auch eins mit ganz viel Sinn.

Amazing book for all ages, it follows the reality of growing up a minority and the even bigger challenges of growing up black in America. 10/10 recommend! P.s. Get ready to cry, become angry (not at Star) and just feel like your accompanying Star in every step of her journey.