The Hate U Give

by Emma Velásquez

When I was nine years old, my family planned a trip to New York City. As we were entering the metro, a middle-aged caucasian woman began screaming the N word at the top of her lungs to an african american sir. I didn’t really know what was going on, due to the fact that my knowledge regarding racism was very limited at the time. I got back to my hometown, and this horrible event went to the back of my mind. As I grew older, I became more interested in the problem the United States had regarding racism.

Time passed and police brutality began invading the headlines, and the problem grew exponentially every day. And, even though the headlines were talking about it, they were not i

ssuing the problem correctly. People just didn’t care, the media altered the stories and the african-american voices were not being heard. On my last trip to the United States, I saw on a library shelf the book The Hate U Give, and since I knew the topic was going to be of my interest, I decided to read it.

The book talks about Starr Carter, a 16 year old african-american girl who lives in Garden Heights-a poor, black neighborhood, and studies in Williamsons Prep-a private, white school.

The story revolves around these two settings, and Starr’s world collapses when her black best friend is shot by a policeman while she watched everything. This is yet another case of police brutality, and the main character is faced with a problem thousands of african americans face every day. The way the author, Angie Thomas, manages to make the author empathize with Starr due to the use of colloquial language. The Hate U Give not only opens your eyes and shows you a new perspective, it really helps you understand the reality black people face. It generates a feeling of wanting to create change; it takes off your blindfolds.