The Hate U Give

By: Angie Thomas

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Eight starred reviews ∙ William C. Morris Award Winner ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ Printz Honor Book ∙ Coretta Scott King Honor Book ∙ Number-One New York Times Best Seller!

"Absolutely riveting!" (Jason Reynolds)

"Stunning." (John Green)

"This story is necessary. This story is important." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"Heartbreakingly topical." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"A marvel of verisimilitude." (Booklist, starred review)

"A powerful, in-your-face novel." (The Horn Book, starred review)

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. It could also endanger her life.

And don't miss On the Come Up, Angie Thomas's powerful follow-up to The Hate U Give.

©2017 Angela Thomas (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"[Narrator Bahni] Turpin's portrayals of all the characters are rich and deep, environments are evocatively described, and Starr's fraught struggles to understand life's complexities are believable." (AudioFile)

Truly a nice listen.

☀️
“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”
• • • •
“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”
Quotes from: Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
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This book blew it out of the park in a lot of ways. I had the honor of experiencing my first time listening to an audiobook with it too! The performance was absolutely amazing and made me FEEL. Her voice made it so nice. So raw. So real.
I enjoyed this book mostly because I LIVE AND BREATHE for books that are from the perspective of a POC. It made my heartache- so much. There were moments where I had to stop the audio and take a break just to get myself together.
Instead of saying what this book is about and spoiling it, I’d like to say what I learned from it. That way, if you guys wanna read it you totally should!
I learned that there is power in my voice. It taught me that nothing will happen if you just sit there and take the beatings. You have to stand up for what’s right no matter how much you get knocked down. It made me realize that maybe I should also stand up for what is right instead of wishing for changes.
I enjoyed the way this book touched on the subject of police brutality. I genuinely believe it is a subject that needs to be talked about more.
In general, I didn’t give it the full five stars because I would have really liked to see a lot more of the characters interacting with each other. I feel like there could’ve been a lot more to Khalil’s character so the reader could’ve felt more personal with him. I fell in love with Starr because I learned about her personality. But I would’ve just loved to fall in love with Khalil’s personality as well. I guess that shows the sadness of the whole topic in a way... We see so many people get hurt and just wish we could’ve gotten the chance to know the person behind the tragedy. All in all, it was still a great listen!!! I need to pick up my own copy soon.

Should be required reading

This story had me from the very start and never let go. I LOL and cried out loud. The character development was on point and the timely political and cultural significance of Khalils' life and Stars' voice cannot be under stated. As an adult with a teenager, this genre is important to me, but this book is definitely NOT just teen genre! You will NOT be disappointed. I wish every parent and teen, especially the privileged, would read this book and open their heart and minds. Great, great story!!

Fabulous listen

This book is stunning. It's not just relevant. The writing is amazing. The characters compelling and complicated. I highly recommend the audiobook if you are not a black person living in America. #blacklivesmattertoo #audiobooks #knitandread

Subtitle: The death of Philando Castile

This book starts out like many YA books -- and that's not a compliment since it's admittedly one of my least favorite genres. About an hour into it, I thought about abandoning it for something else with more heft. If I had, it would have been my loss. Once this book hit its stride, it became relevant to now -- especially here where I live. The death of Philando Castile and the recent verdict is our local news. This book hits home.

I can't say this explored new territory -- it didn't. But the way it explored current issues is different. There's a feeling of authenticity that I very much appreciated. The YA part comes out in the way the people talk and think. That's really refreshing.

There's always a difference in perspective after a tragedy. Though almost comic in its Valley Girl delivery, this author made the utter ridiculousness of some opinions blazingly obvious. She also took on the nuanced views with aplomb. It's all there. I found myself examining my own thoughts and conclusions about recent events and I'm not really pleased with some of it. I can do better. Like I said: this book hits home.

I live in a diverse, colorful neighborhood. The problems we face -- like those in this book -- are complicated. While I don't have any answers or solutions, I do know that we need every bit of light shining on the issues to gain more understanding. This book does exactly that. Brilliantly.

T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E. for a new generation

This was great, enlightening stark and uncomfortable reality, without getting too political, and managing not to be a turn off. A reminder to blacks who have forgotten the struggle, and a wake up call to whites who weren't aware there was a struggle, this manages to walk the walk and talk the talk in a way everyone can absorb.
I really do wish there was less swearing though. For a teen fiction, I hesitate to let my teens listen to this level of profanity.

Message needed to be heard

The timing of this book is impeccable. Great story- a real story and has touched on (just about) every inexcusable event that has taken place over the past few years. A lot of chapters will hit home even when just describing the neighborhood and all of the "characters" each of our neighborhoods have. The narration was great- the only piece of advice I can give is: It's clear that a msg was trying to be sent with this book (and it was) but when narrating the white girl characters- the extreme "Becky voice" was used unnecessarily which feeds into the divide that has been long ago established. Picking at something minor? Yes- but it is just an example of the long way we have to go. Overall, a great read and highly recommended.

Best audiobook I’ve listened to.

I have listened to a lot of audiobooks, and this is by far one of the best ever. I was unable to stop listening – – the story was paced exceptionally well. The story was beautifully told and the characters richly drawn. The narrator is so charming and so much of the story is humorous, despite the difficult subject matter. And the narrator is probably the best I have ever heard. And exceptional book for readers of all ages – – I’m an adult, and I found this book utterly compelling.

Black Lives Matter

Any additional comments?

the writing was wonderful and the narration was great. The story line kept me coming back. But as an old white woman who lived thru the race problems of the 60's and 70's and had foolishly convinced herself the worst part of racism was over I was hoping this was going to address both sides of the issue- that Black Lives DO Matter and also the psychology of what fears the good police officers are facing. Regardless it's a great book and I look forward to reading more of Angie Thomas' writings. Also hope to find more books narrated by Bahni Turpin!

A long way to grow...

And I mean grow. Thank you Angie Thomas & Bahni Turpin for creating and sharing the stories, memories and trajectories unknown to so many, Judged by so many, and needing to be taught through so many. I can't say to much more than read this book. Wrestle with its uncomfortableness and grow into living a life that supports love and safety. It was worth every word and every minute!!

Great Young Adult Book -- AGJ

Excellent young adult introduction to real world race relations in the USA. The USA is one of best places in the world---but not fair ---- neither is life!! As a black parent, I drilled this into my kids