Book cover image:
Taken from Goodreads.com(Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)
Genre:
The book The hate U give by Angie Thomas was read for the module over censorship due
to the book being pulled from libraries for “drug use” and inappropriate
language”, which I will address a little later.
(I wish there was a sarcasm font, but there isn’t, so just know that I
do not think it should have been pulled).
Aside from this, the book is a young adult contemporary/ realistic
fiction novel.
Book Summary:
Angie Thomas tells the story
of Starr Carter, a young girl growing up in the Garden Heights, an economically
disadvantaged urban neighborhood that is predominantly a black community. At
10-years-old Starr and her best friend Natasha are playing in the water from an
opened valve on a fire hydrant when Natasha is gunned down by a drive-by
shooter and Starr watches her friend die. Fast forward 6 years to Starr going to
school at a private predominantly white school 45 minutes away because her mom
is determined to do everything she can to protect her and her siblings from the
dangers in their neighborhood. Starr has two
personalities and voices because of this situation; one for her Garden Heights life
and one for Williamson Prep, her private school community. During a spring break
party, Starr runs into her childhood best friend, Kahlil in Garden Heights and
they spend some time reconnecting only to be interrupted by a shooting at the
party. They escape in Kahlil’s car and are
almost immediately pulled over by a white officer who claims they have a broken
taillight. Starr has had ‘the talk’ about
how to behave if ever approached by an officer, but none of that helps Kahlil
and he is shot three times. For the
second time in her life she has to hold a friend as their life slips away. Starr must find her true voice and help get
justice for Kahlil and all those who have been affected by the situation.
APA Reference of Book:
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate U
give. New York: Balzar + Bray.
Impressions:
This wonderful gem of a book is
a MUST READ! The hate U give by Angie
Thomas is an award-winning debut novel that found its way into the #8 slot of
the ALA most challenged books of 2017 reportedly for drug use, profanity, and offensive
language. All these reasons are
absolutely ridiculous and are simply being used as an excuse/ reason to justify
removing the book from the collection. I
have read more YA books than I can count, and Thomas handles the language, drug
use, and sexual content in such a delicate way.
There are many YA books happily living on the shelves that contain much
more “inappropriate” content including all those being used against The hate U give and it is not handle in nearly
as respectful way. Additionally,
although the Black Lives Matter movement inspired the story, it in no way
overpowers the message. This book is
inspired by a highly politicized issue facing our country today, but it is not
handled in a political way in the book.
Angie tells the story through the experiences of a 16-year-old girl who has
to find her own voice to speak up for justice.
Along with that the story explores family dynamics, life in high school
and figuring out who your true friends are, and even first loves. This book is SO MUCH more than a realistic
look at the Black Lives Matter movement through the eyes of a teenager. Additionally, as a white female who has
always lived in a rural West Texas community, I needed to read this story to
know what it is like for those who grow up in a completely different world than
me. The only talk my parents had to have
with me was the birds and bees. Starr’s
parents had to have the talk with their kids that teaches them how to act if
they are ever approached by a police officer.
This is a real thing for black children who live in inner city
communities and I needed to hear this.
Angie Thomas clearly addresses the fact that all inner-city blacks are
not bad, just as all police officers are not good. I hope this book makes the reader slightly
uncomfortable, because it did me, but it was an uncomfortable that made me open
my mind and explore all sides of this issue.
As good citizens we cannot only look at what is immediately around us –
we have to look at EVERYTHING and books like The hate U give do just that. My only note on any of the challenges,
one of which was for a middle school, is that the book is about a 16-year-old
girl and is probably more appropriate for a high school and adult audience or
mature middle school readers. That being said, read the book and form your own
opinions –
Here are some articles about
the challenges against the book:
Professional Review:
Starred Review on January 1,
2017 by Mahnaz Dar for School Library Journal. Posted online on Book Verdict
GR 8 UP — After Starr and her
childhood friend Khalil, both black, leave a party together,
they are pulled over by a
white police officer, who kills Khalil. The sole witness to the homicide, Starr
must testify before a grand jury that will decide whether to indict the cop,
and she's terrified, especially as emotions run high. By turns frightened,
discouraged, enraged, and impassioned, Starr is authentically adolescent in her
reactions. Inhabiting two vastly different spheres—her poor, predominantly
black neighborhood, Garden Heights, where gangs are a fact of life, and her
rich, mostly white private school—causes strain, and Thomas perceptively
illustrates how the personal is political: Starr is disturbed by the racism of
her white friend Hailey, who writes Khalil off as a drug dealer, and Starr's
father is torn between his desire to support Garden Heights and his need to
move his family to a safer environment. The first-person, present-tense
narrative is immediate and intense, and the pacing is strong, with Thomas
balancing dramatic scenes of violence and protest with moments of reflection.
The characterization is slightly uneven; at times, Starr's friends at school
feel thinly fleshed out. However, Starr, her family, and the individuals in
their neighborhood are achingly real and lovingly crafted. VERDICT Pair this
powerful debut with Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely's All-American Boys to start a conversation on racism, police
brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
APA Reference of Professional Review:
Media Source
Book Verdict. (2017, January 1). The hate
U give. Retrieved April 28, 2018, from Book Verdict: http://bookverdict.com/details.xqy?uri=Product2017-01-01-1102495.xml
Library Uses:
Click on the hyperlinks to the ALA Advocacy page for banned books and intellectual freedom. As a librarian, I think we have a huge responsibility to promote the freedom to read! I strongly encourage all librarians and library advocates to bring about awareness to banned and challenged books and to encourage readers and parents to READ THE BOOK FIRST before forming opinions based on media and press surrounding a title that is being questioned for content. I think it would be awesome to form a "Banned Book Book Club" where books from the challenged and banned books are read and discussed in a safe environment. This would be a great way to open up the discussion and present the foundations and principles of intellectual freedom to the public. Education is key and we have a responsibility to our communities to provide them Education is key, and we have a responsibility
to our communities to provide them “books and other library resources for the
interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the
library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin,
background, or views of those contributing to their creation." (Principle #1 of the Library Bill of Rights)
Readalikes:
I want to include all types of
novels that are relevant to the story Angie Thomas shared through Starr, but I
also want to challenge everyone to not let someone else’s thoughts or opinions
distract from what you read. That being said,
my challenge to you is to read as many challenged or banned books as you can and
formulate your own opinion. Do not rely on other’s opinions of a challenged or
banned book without reading the material in its entirety.
Here is a link to a handy list
of banned challenged books from American Library Association and 100 most frequently challenged books by decade.
Some of my favorites from the
list are:
Little house of the prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was
banned from South Dakota classrooms because of comments made about Native
Americans.
Beloved by Toni Morrison. This has been challenged
and pulled from various libraries because of violent content, language, sexual
material, and inappropriate topics of racism.
A note on the ALA website also states that one parent that challenged the
book only read excerpts of the book on the internet.
Picture books are challenged and
banned also, and one that I think is fantastic is The librarian of Basra: A true story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter. The story has been challenged
for by parents because they say it promotes another religion and the Koran.
After reading it, the story is actually incredibly interesting and inspiring.
Also, if you are interested in
purchasing Banned Book material for your library or personally check out the
ALA Store and Out of Print Banned Book Collection.
Checkout my Goodreads list of children and youth literature I read during
the Spring 2018 Semester at UNT.
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