Miss Eyre's here to inspire
Thomas, A. (2017) The Hate U Give. London, Great Britain: Walker Books Ltd
“When I was twelve, my parents had two talks with me. One was the usual birds and bees. The other was about what to do if a cop stopped me.” When 16 year old Starr witnesses her best friend Khalil being shot dead nonsensically by police after being pulled over for a broken tail light, the two starkly different worlds she belongs to start to unravel. Starr lives in a ghetto, but goes to a mainly white school in the rich part of town. She keeps these two lives as separate from each other as possible, but whilst keeping the fact that she was a witness to the shooting a secret, she begins to see the world around her and her friends in a new light. Will Starr, named by her dad to be light in the darkness, be able to find the courage to find her voice, and to discover what she really stands for? Given the political climate in the United States currently, this book is topical and thought provoking. It was first written by Thomas as a short story, but as young black men in America kept on being victims to police brutality, she realised Starr’s story wasn’t complete yet. This novel is an honest dialogue about racism and prejudice from many perspectives, yet is held together by the beauty and strength of Starr’s family and community. A must read in 2017. Ages 13+
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