A three-time winner of Goodreads Choice Awards
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

When walking alone at night from my bus station to get home, seeing a police officer always made me feel safe. It’s good to know that you aren’t alone in the streets in the middle of the night and, also, they are supposed to protect us. For kids, especially, a policeman is supposed to represent something safe, someone to trust, someone to ask for help. Well, apparently, some kids do not have that luxury. Some kids, have to do a talk with their parents when they’re old enough about how to talk and act around the police so they won’t get hurt. Some kids, have to live in constant fear of policemen just because they are black. Some kids, they watch their loved ones, family or friends, get beaten or shot by the police officers just because they live in a neighborhood that is considered “ghetto”.

Starr is a 16-year-old high school student who lives at Garden Heights. Her neighborhood is considered one of the larger drug-dealing scenes because of the large gang called King Lords that lead the business, and is often patrolled by the police and has a high rate of killings. Starr was 10 years old when she saw her best friend Natasha get shot by a gang member while they were playing at a park. After that, her parents put both her and her brothers in s private school that is 45 minutes away from their neighborhood, to keep them safe and away from the dangers of that area. Since then, Starr can never show her true self to anyone – she has to hold back constantly in order to fit and keep balance between her two separate worlds. But how can she keep herself together and stay silent when she witnesses her childhood friend Khalil get murdered by a cop after driving home after a party?

Guys, I really loved this book. Number one, this book points out a problem of racism and treatment of black people by law enforcement. It brings out so many emotions, and I felt every single one of them. It acknowledges and problem in the core of our society that I knew existed, but never understood how serious it was. It’s not that I never cared, it’s that I never understood how deep it went and how important it is to understand. I know it sounds stupid from a white girl who will never be a minority and never feel that way and who will never witness such horrors, but I hate it. I hate that there are people who feel oppressed, who have to hide their culture or lifestyle to “fit in”, people who are afraid for their lives because of the faults in the society.

This book raises awareness about the problems of weapons, drugs and unjust law enforcement in African-American communities. It was another eye opener - a beautiful story of love, grief and family. The system is often unjust, and those who are guilty left unpunished. Sometimes it’s hard to speak up, and The Hate U Give is exactly about that – about so many stories that need to be told for the ones that are gone and no longer have voices of their own. There are so many stories I didn’t know about and I am so glad I read this book because I want to know and I want to care and I want to change.


Starr’s story was so shockingly beautiful and realistic. I learned a great deal in this emotional rollercoaster, but the part that impressed me the most is the harmony between their families. Relations and dynamics between the members of Starr’s family were probably the most interesting part aside from Khalil’s story and I couldn’t help but to love them all. This book focuses mainly on the problematics, but there is a great deal of good character development, especially Starr, her decision to fight for Khalil, her family and friends. I couldn’t help but to like her more and more as the book went further.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget Khalil’s story, but there are so many other stories that need to be remembered and many more that could be hopefully be prevented.