Editor's Note: The following review is review is co-written by Ben Frost and Jackson Ohle-Kot.
In our opinion The Hate U Give is a great book for young and old readers. It shows the story of Starr Carter, a young high-school student growing up in Garden Heights. She is leaving a spring break party when her unarmed friend (Khalil) is murdered by a white police officer. This begins Starr’s hunt for justice.
Jackson likes this book because Starr is split between worlds. She goes to school at Williamson High, which is located in a rich white neighborhood. She doesn't feel like she can bring her other friends into to her home or the rest of Garden Heights, but most of all she can’t tell her other friends about Khalil.
Ben likes this because book because it shows a different perspective on the community within Garden Heights. It shows the kindness, the craziness, and the intricacies of Garden Heights. It shows the life of gang members, family members, business owners, and much more. “This is a very interesting book that I would recommend to anybody.”It poses an interesting challenge for Starr’s uncle who is a police officer. He feels like he should be loyal to the police but does not support their decision to protect the shooter. He also gets in a fist fight with the officer that shot Khalil, and gets put on leave.
She ends up being tried as a witness in front of the grand jury, where she testifies for the murder. We feel like it would be a major spoiler if we tell you what happened in the ruling so, we are going to leave that to you. The rest of the story is very interesting and we would not want to ruin it for you.
In conclusion, it shows a hostile police department that tries to twist her words when she is being interviewed as a witness. However her family trained her and told her to NOT let them speak for her. We have noticed that most books will show the police as the “good guys” but in this case, the police originally committed the murder, and continue to lie on everything from live TV to evidence, saying that they found a gun and drugs in Khalil’s car. It shows what they will do to save themselves, and we praise this book for that unique perspective.
Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
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