{"id":34053,"date":"2017-12-20T23:44:56","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T03:44:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=34053"},"modified":"2017-12-20T23:44:56","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T03:44:56","slug":"review-of-the-hate-u-give-by-angie-thomas-performed-by-bahni-turpin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=34053","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, performed by Bahni Turpin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Hate U Give<\/em><\/p>\n

by Angie Thomas
\nperformed by Bahni Turpin<\/p>\n

HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. 11\u00be hours on 10 compact discs.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Wow. This debut novel packs a big punch.<\/p>\n

Starr Carter lives in two lives. There\u2019s Garden Heights, where she lives and where her dad runs a store, where gangs fight over territory and they hear gunshots at night. And then there\u2019s the world of Williamson, the private school in the suburbs that she attends, where she is one of two white people in the junior class.<\/p>\n

Starr goes to a party in her neighborhood and gets a ride home with Khalil, a childhood friend she hasn\u2019t seen in a while. But a policeman pulls him over for a broken tail light and doesn’t like Khalil’s attitude. After the cop pulls him out of the car and tells him to hold still, Khalil opens the car door to ask Starr if she\u2019s okay – and the policeman shoots Khalil three times. He dies before Starr\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

The book is about Starr\u2019s reaction to that and the many repercussions. Right away, the news starts portraying Khalil as a gang member and a drug dealer and a thug \u2013 as if that means he deserves to die. She doesn\u2019t want anyone to know she was the witness \u2013 but her friends at Williamson don\u2019t understand why this incident has affected her so much.<\/p>\n

The story continues through the grand jury decision about whether the policeman should be prosecuted \u2013 and the reaction in Garden Heights. <\/p>\n

I was deeply moved by this book \u2013 and could begin to imagine what it would be like to have a friend die in front of me \u2013 in a way that a news story alone doesn\u2019t bring home, with all its implications.<\/p>\n

Listening to this book was a good way to enjoy it. I liked hearing the narrator use a different voice when Starr was talking in Garden Heights as opposed to when she was among her white friends, taking care to speak precisely and properly. This isn\u2019t family listening unless your whole family doesn\u2019t mind hearing a lot of profanity \u2013 It\u2019s appropriate and also helps set the scene, but do be aware it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n

The book is long, and a bit repetitive in spots, but I’m a lot more patient with that when I’m listening, since I’m in the car anyway. I was glad when I had an extra-long drive toward the end, because I wanted to hear more of this amazing book.<\/p>\n

And yes, lives like Khalil\u2019s \u2013 and all the actual young men he represents \u2013 do matter. If he didn\u2019t live a perfect life, that doesn\u2019t make it okay to shoot him when he was unarmed and no threat. This book brings that message home \u2013 with a story and characters who will pull you in and make you care.<\/p>\n

angiethomas.com<\/a>
\nharperaudio.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/hate_u_give.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library audiobook from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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