The Hate U Give

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Awards:

Odyssey Award (2018)

William C. Morris YA Debut Award (2018) Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Preis der Jugendjury (2018)

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (2018)

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction (2017)

Lincoln Award (2019)

Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction & for Debut Goodreads Author (2017) and for Best of the Best (2018)

Summary:

Starr has to navigate between two worlds. During the day, she is the Starr at her prep school, the Starr that makes sure to avoid what others could consider “ghetto behavior”. At home, she is the Starr from Garden Heights, a poor neighborhood affected by gang violence.

When Starr is the only witness to the shooting of an unarmed black man, her old friend, by a police officer, she has a decision to make. Stay silent or speak up?

Reaction:

This book deserves the attention it has been given. This is an amazing and powerful read that everyone should pick up.

The language used in this book has the potential to make the reader uncomfortable. Conversely, the language contributes to creating a sense of genuineness. It seemed like the language you would hear anywhere, at the grocery store, walking down the street, at a friends house. This, in addition to other reasons, is also why the book has been banned or challenged.

The book begins with Starr at a party in Garden Heights. She doesn’t often go to these types of parties mostly because her parents won’t let her but also because she doesn’t connect with her old friends now that she goes to Williamson Prep. When the party ends due to a possible gang shooting, she catches a ride with an old friend, Khalil.

On the ride home, they are pulled over. Starr follows the instructions her father gave her when she was 12. “‘Keep your hands visible. Don’t make any sudden moves. Only speak when they speak to you.’”  (pg 20) Khalil breaks every rule her father gave her. “Get a good look at the cop’s face. If you can remember his badge number, that’s even better.” (pg 22)

“They told me it's not smart to move while a cop has his back to you.” (pg 23) And Khalil does. He is checking on Starr when the officer opens fire.

Devastated by the cruel and unwarranted death of her friend, she recounts the night to the detectives in charge of the investigation. But her hopes for justice are dashed when not one question is asked about the officer that shot Khalil, but plenty of questions are asked about Khalil, drugs, the gang in the neighborhood, the Garden Disciples and alcohol.

There is a shift in her friendships at school and her relationship with her boyfriend. She decides not to tell her friends. By denying any current relationship with Khalil or her involvement in the shooting, she begins to see her friends in a new light. She hears what they say about Khalil, someone they never knew. And she doesn’t like it, especially coming from her friend Hailey.

A pivotal scene in the book is when her father is targeted by two police officers, one black and one white. The officers refuse to listen to anyone before and after learning who she and her father are. It isn’t until a crowd forms around the scene and they haven’t found anything on Maverick that they leave, but not without a warning. “He turns to Daddy and says, ‘I’m keeping an eye on our, boy. Remember that.’” (pg 194). Surprisingly, it isn’t the white officer that says this, but the black one.

Eventually, Starr begins to speak up. She becomes involved in Just Us for Justice, an organization formed to fight racism against black people. A week before she is to testify before a grand jury, she is interviewed by a national news program.

The power of one’s voice may not create immediate change, but it can have an affect on it. By speaking up for Khalil, Starr is speaking up for others that have been wrongfully targeted or shot. Angie Thomas wrote this book to educate the world about the injustice that happens everywhere to African-Americans. It’s an uncomfortable but powerful read that shouldn’t go unread.

Connections:

Activities:

• The Fresh Prince of Bel Air is mentioned often in this book. For a fun activity, have the students memorize the lyrics.
• [Andrew Ware]. (2009, August 17). The fresh prince of Bel Air theme song [short version] [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/3qHA366oRMs
• Prompt: When has a difference of opinion led to the end of a friendship? Explain the situation.  
• Make it available as a book club/circle choice on social justice.
• Read the scene when Khalil and Starr are pulled over. Write down your reaction and thoughts to the scene. Discuss.
• In Blood of My Blood by Barry Lyga, a character is also given the police talk. Find other examples of “the talk” and compare them. Why is this necessary for black characters vs. characters of other races/ethnicities?
• Emmett Till is mentioned several times. Have a lesson on Till. Use excerpts from the book The Blood of Emmett Till and the video from CBS This Morning. The woman has not had any consequence for her lie other than having to live with what she had done. Is this fair? Why has there been no justice for Emmett Till?
• Tyson, T. (2017). The blood of Emmett Till. New York: Simon & Schuster.
• [CBS This Morning]. (2017, January 31). Historian on Emmett Till’s accuser recanting story [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/MtRViIuhrQc  

Other Books About Police Brutality/Black Lives Matter Movement:

Coles, J. (2018). Tyler Johnson was here. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Rhodes, J. (2018). Ghost boys. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Stone, N. (2017). Dear Martin. New York: Crown..

Reynolds, J. & Kiely, B. (2015). All American boys. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Magoon, K. (2014). How it went down. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Articles:

Burgos, D. (2018, October 4). Is “Just Us For Justice” Real? ‘The Hate U Give’ Organization Has A Familiar Purpose. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/is-just-us-for-justice-real-the-hate-u-give-organization-has-a-familiar-purpose-12125331

The Collegian. (2018, September 27). Banned Book Highlight: "The Hate U Give". Retrieved from https://www.kstatecollegian.com/2018/09/26/banned-book-highlight-the-hate-u-give/

Gomez, B. (2018, September 6). Banned Spotlight: The Hate U Give. Retrieved from https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-the-hate-u-give/

McWilliams, A. (2018, July 25). Sorry to Bother You, black Americans and the power and peril of code-switching | AT McWilliams. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jul/25/sorry-to-bother-you-white-voice-code-switching

Diaz, V. (2017, December 01). THE HATE U GIVE Banned by Katy, Texas School District. Retrieved from https://bookriot.com/2017/12/01/the-hate-u-give-banned/

Penn, F., & Fequiere, P. (2017, June 22). Why We Need Diverse Characters In YA Books, According To Angie Thomas. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/farrahpenn/why-writing-diverse-characters-in-ya-books-is-need

Videos:

[Tedx Talks]. (2017, August 22). The Cost of Code Switching | Chandra Arthur | TEDxOrlando [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Bo3hRq2RnNI

[The Language & Life Project]. (2017, August 18). Code-Switching [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/VpLQmyS7-jw

[Ted]. (2014, June 19). 3 ways to speak English | Jamila Lyiscott [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/k9fmJ5xQ_mc