Summary: 16-year old Starr Carter witnesses the shooting and murder of her childhood friend and crush Khalil by a policeman. Khalil was unarmed. The circumstances surrounding Khalil’s death soon become national headlines and people call him a thug, drug dealer and gangbanger. Starr becomes the witness and uses her voice to “speak the truth”. The Hate you Give tells the story of the aftermath of the death of Khalil.
You can destroy wood and brick, but you can't destroy a movement.
The story centres on the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM) and themes such as police brutality, broken criminal justice system and internalized racism. This book is relevant and an eye–opener. It brought to light the horrible issues Black people face day-to-day in America. I was saddened and disgusted by the fact that the police can violate the human and civil rights of a Black person and face no consequences at all.
Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.
I loved Starr character. She’s brave, resilient and real. Starr’s journey after Khalil’s death took me through several emotions – sadness, grief, loss, pain, anger among others. I loved that Thomas portrayed Starr’s character as the young black girl trying to find her voice. The book encourages young people to add their voice to the dialogue. A reminder that in this day and age “silence is not golden”. Adding your voice brings change. Your Voice Matters! You Matter!
“What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
The other important aspects of the book I loved are family and friendships. Thomas created a strong character with a strong support system. Starr is only 16 years and she’s watched two of her childhood friends die that’s a lot to deal with at that age.
With such strong and uncomfortable themes in this book, I love the fact that Thomas dulled it down with some sense of humour. I did love her music recommendations (Can you blame me? I am a 2Pac fan).
Music Recommendations:
Keep Ya Head Up - by 2Pac
Changes - (ft Talent)
All Eyez on Me by - 2Pac
Only God Can Judge Me by 2Pac
I love this book. I highly recommend this book.
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