Friday, May 4, 2018

Module 15: The hate U give


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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Module 15: The hate U give

Book cover image: Taken from Goodreads.com (Goodreads, Inc., n.d.)     Genre: The book The hate U give by Angie Thomas was rea...