Review: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After all the reviews I've read I knew this one would be moving, but this is also such an important voice to listen to and I honestly feel that EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE WORLD NEEDS TO READ THIS.

I can't possibly feel what it must be like to face the challenges of a black person living in the USA - all I can tell you is how this novel made me feel, as a white female living in a predominantly white country.

It made me feel ignorant.
It made me feel despair.
It made me feel guilt.
It made me feel lucky.
It made me feel disgust.
It made me feel gut-wrenching sadness.

But it also made me laugh, and it filled my heart with appreciation for family and community.

This is not necessarily a novel about how hard it is to be black.

This is a novel about a teenager, for whom the colour of her skin dictates the way she is treated by society as a whole.

It's a small story that is a mere glimpse of oppression, and it's told with incredible skill and heart and it is impossible to read this story and not feel anything. As an Australian, this level of injustice is a story on Page 3 - maybe - and to think this permeates the entire lifestyle of a country breaks my heart. There's so much in this book that I needed to read to understand exactly how deep the wounds go. Even still, I don't think I'll ever properly understand, but I know I'll make more of an effort to pay attention to the things I say and do.

Now, since this is also a story told by a teenager, we're facing more than just racism here. Clearly that's the KO, but there's plenty of jabs about sibling rivalry, friendship, fitting in and family. Starr is facing all the normal issues that come with being a teenager and that is something everyone can relate to. It injects humour into a dark story, and is another facet of what makes this such a powerful novel.

I have to be honest - I hadn't even planned to read this book yet. I just happened to glimpse at the first page to get an idea, and 13 hours later I was finishing it. It grabbed me instantly, stuck its claws in, and refused to let go. It is utterly heartbreaking but also uplifting, and even though all this bs is happening Starr is part of an incredibly strong family unit that sticks by her like glue no matter what. Even when she's in trouble they've got her back, and that's exactly what family is and I'm so, SO glad that her family was written that way.

On a much lighter note, I also really enjoyed the sneaker talk. I'm becoming a bit of a sneakerhead myself so it was a lot of fun to actually know what Jordans she was talking about and understand their value. It made me love her instantly.

This novel is written brilliantly, so that you're getting this powerful story with all the sass of a teenager. The language makes it so easy to play this as a movie in your head, and see the characters brought to life. The novel covers a hard topic, but using the voice of a teenager cuts out all the political bs and it all boils down to a very simple message: why is one life worth any less than another?

Now, here's the tough part.

I've never considered myself racist. I've never thought people should be treated any different just because of the colour of their skin, or how they look. But when I look deeper at my thoughts and reactions to people who are different, I have to seriously consider how much of my ingrained behaviour actually makes me racist without realising it?

And I think that's what makes this such an important novel for everyone to read.

It's not enough to just say, 'I'm not racist.'

We need to recognise all the behaviours that are so natural yet damaging to minorities. We need to actually consider things from the other side of the coin and acknowledge our white privilege as a serious thing. We need to accept: white people have it pretty good.

This book really made me think, but it also broke my heart (and then stuck it back together).

Honestly I encourage everyone to read this novel because it will open your eyes and hopefully allow you an insider's glimpse at a world you're completely ignorant of. The better our understanding, the better our chance of changing the world.

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