During what should have been a routine traffic stop, 16-year-old Starr Carter's best friend is shot and killed by a police officer. Starr was the only witness. The Hate U Give is the story of Starr's struggles with the grief, trauma, and decisions she is forced to make in the aftermath of the event. Angie Thomas' writing is so genuine that the book is impossible to read without becoming emotional. The characters are so realistic that at times it felt like I was reading about the family of a close friend rather than about fictional characters. It's amazing what Thomas was able to accomplish in her very first novel and I'm going to continue recommending it at every opportunity.
"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. Itcould also endanger her life"--