The Hate U Give

By: Angie Thomas

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's Summary

8 starred reviews ∙ William C. Morris Award Winner ∙ National Book Award Longlist ∙ Printz Honor Book ∙ Coretta Scott King Honor Book ∙ #1 New York Times Bestseller!

A National Book Award Longlist title with eight starred reviews! #1 New York Times Bestseller!

"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)

This Book Changed My Entire Perspective

Tupac. THUG LIFE. 'The Hate U Give Little Infants F*&#@ Everyone.' Those are not a bunch of nonsensical words. There is great meaning behind them- a greater meaning that I ever knew.

This book touched my heart and opened my mind to a world I knew nothing of. The book made me think- and I don't mean 'ponder' for a few minutes. This book made me search my soul and look at the world differently. It made me discuss the message with my children.

Without going into too much detail, our heroine grows up in a world where drive by shootings, robberies, and drugs were normal. When tragedy strikes she has a choice. She can speak up or she can keep quiet and say nothing. Keeping quiet in an area where 'snitches get stitches' is probably the best idea, however breaking a long cycle of silence is a very difficult choice.

I think this book should be mandatory reading in high school. I consider myself quite conservative on the political spectrum, but this is a beautiful written and well thought out book that will make you think twice about everything you know when it comes to stereotypes.

5 giant stars- so grateful I listened to this audiobook.

-Wendi

413 people found this helpful

What a story!

I'm not normally into YA, but I don't know if you would categorize this book as such, and you definitely couldn't pigeonhole into that one genre. It is something of an allegorical tale about the black lives matter movement, and racist police brutality.

But it's not just a diatribe about what is wrong with the world, and the way things should be. That's where Angie Thomas shines, she doesn't sacrifice her story or sense of character development to send a message. This is a real, holistic story about a young woman's coming of age in a fulcrum of racial and political strife, all while confronting the standard and not-so-standard complications of teenage life: communication issues, identity, family, and responsibility.

Bahni Turpin does a miraculous job giving these characters the voice they deserve. There is a lot of style behind the dialogue that I could see might be hard to pull off, but she does it with ease and it draws you that much more into the story.

241 people found this helpful

Amazing, powerful novel for teens and adults

This book starts out with the feel of a Young Adult novel. If it was written for that genre, it quickly transcends it. It is the story of a 16 year old girl, Star, who is a witness to a police shooting that results in the death of her friend. It is narrated by Star, a girl who straddles two worlds - her dangerous inner city neighborhood and her elite, mostly white private school. Star is so believable, as is Star's family and friend groups. The story is riveting, disturbing, sweet, and hopeful. I feel like I have been part of her special and totally believable family. The reader is great. I can't say enough good things about this book. I love coming-of-age novels, and this is a great one. I recommend it for teens and adults, male and female. I am an older white man, and I chose this book because I teach a diverse student body. I thought it might give me better perspective. This important book did do that, and so much more.

110 people found this helpful

Raw Reality!

In this world in all societies, there are givers and takers whether you are on Wall St. or you are in some inner city ghetto. Human nature is so heavily influenced by our surroundings that once engulfed it is so hard to get out and make significant changes. The reality of this book is that it takes tremendous courage to stand for who you are and what you believe when there is so much pressure around you to go with the flow. I thought Angie Thomas did a brilliant job of highlighting the day to day courage required by all of us in embracing race, society, and local community to create a peaceful world. Love needs to connect with the color of our blood regardless of the color of our skin.

132 people found this helpful

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
——-
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.

5 people found this helpful

This book ripped me open & sewed me back together

I don't normally leave the book covers so large on this blog. But this blook was so good, all I want anyone to do is see this cover and buy this book. Angie Thomas has done an incredible job capturing life in this book. I can't even.... Stop what you're doing. Go to the store. Go to Amazon, go to Barnes and Noble, go to Audible.com go anywhere and buy this book. Most of my readers know it's a rare day when I'm pushing a book so much that I give you links to buy it.

This is a brilliant, gut-wrenching, heart-bursting novel. Angie Thomas will be remembered for having written a classic of our times. This book is about the need to speak out against injustice in our lives, communities, the world. I feel like this book has opened my eyes, shattered my heart, and yet still warmed me inside. Fiction can be transformational, and THE HATE U GIVE is the best example of it, for me, to date. I couldn't put this down and ugly cried through at least 40 minutes of it.

Like many books, I chose to listen to this one on Audible. The narrator Bahni Turpin had very specific praise when I was reading up on the book before buying it. So much that I had to listen to this book instead of buying a hard copy. I wouldn't have changed that for a moment. Each character was so specific to them, I could tell them apart based on her voice alone. She is a gifted story actress and I will be buying more of her work.

So to summarize.... Just buy this book and let it swallow you into its dark abyss. Let it rip out your heart and sew you back together again. Let it paralyze you and make you ugly cry. Let it open your eyes and heart. Let this book into your lives where it belongs.

51 people found this helpful

Amazing!

I haven't been this captured by a book since Sarah's Key. This author has earned my loyalty. There wasn't a single word that felt like fluff or filler. Every moment, every detail gives insight into a world that not everyone understands.

I really identified with this character. Although I'm not African-American, I did grow up in a gang infested neighborhood like the main character. I also went to a private school like the main character. And I spent a lot of my life denying where I grew up and denying the people I once knew like the main character. This definitely spoke to me and made me think about how I've reacted towards my start in life. For the first time in nearly 20 years, I felt like I missed my old neighborhood. This book hit that hard.

It is heavy. It will speak to you if you know this life or environment, but it will definitely carry you through the neighborhood if you have no experiences like that. I like the mix of characters that are used. Star learns, Seven is a caregiver, Devonte is the one that would get caught up in the hype, and Chris is the outsider looking in. Star's parents were also solid characters. I loved Seven's reaction to his momma. Ok-I'll stop because I can go on and on.

The one thing that I didn't like was the narrators voice for the white kids. Ha...it came off as cartoonish.

4 people found this helpful

Excellent, insightful story.

If you could sum up The Hate U Give in three words, what would they be?

Best narrator ever!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character, Star, was my favorite character because the author ingeniously shows us the frustration and confusion she deals with as she tries to make sense of the double-sided racism in both the black and the white worlds she lives in.

Which character – as performed by Bahni Turpin – was your favorite?

The narrator nailed it with the character Goon. I was surprised that toward the end of the story she had yet another version of "hood speak" that made Goon stand out as the as the bad boy from the "hood" with a big personality and a bigger heart.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Every paragraph in the book seemed to have insight to the confusion and angst of teenage life that the main character, Star, faces on a daily basis. I couldn't wait to find out how she would deal with each upcoming conundrum as she maneuvers along this unusually difficult path from youth to maturity.

Any additional comments?

I had to go back to my computer to see that this story was narrated by only one person. I am amazed at how Turpin made each character come to life. I always knew who was speaking because each voice was so unique to the character. This narrator has some serious talent!

39 people found this helpful

A MUST Read for a better society!

As an English teacher, I have read many, many novels, and this is officially the top of my list as one I would have EVERY student of mine read, and every member of our society, if I could! The perspective Angie Thomas gives in this is exactly one that EVERYONE should hear, understand, and be culturally conscious of. Also, as a lover of audiobooks (and very picky), Bahni Turpin KILLED this performance; I didn't want to shut this book off. The pacing of this novel was perfect. All of the characters felt real and relatable. The best part was the depth of the theme and the way the title is an allusion, a symbol, and an allegory -- if I could give more than 5 stars I would. So read this, then go be the change.

81 people found this helpful

The Hate U Give Book Review

My initial reaction: Wow! This is so powerful! 

I was left speechless. I felt so many emotions when reading, that I did not know what to say. The narrator was created in such a realistic and relateable manner. I loved her! I was immersed in her life and the conflict she undergoes is difficult to imagine. I couldn't imagine how a teen would react in such a situation.  

The character's struggles were so powerfully written. Starr goes through so much! As if school was not hard enough, she endures so many inner struggles that bring the reality of what its like to feel like one doesn't belong. I found myself relating to her struggles. Not only that but Thomas expresses the injustices that take place.

There were so many different issues going on in this novel that brought the character's reality to life. The fact that Thomas did not hold back and simply focus on one main conflict makes this novel that much more powerful. What I enjoyed the most about this novel was that Thomas provides a variety of different struggles that reader can latch onto. 

Audible Review:

Turpin's narration was amazing and really brought the story to life. Her narration at 1.0 speed was too slow for me, but starting at 1.25 speed, her narration was excellent. The best listening speed for me was at 1.50 speed. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 or 1.75 speeds, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 and 2.5 speed to be the best speeds. 3.0 was too fast for me, and I was missing a lot of what the narrator was saying and had to eventually slow down the narrator's reading speed. However, it is manageable. If you're used to speed listening, 3.0 speed should be manageable. 3.5 speed was definitely too fast for me.

3 people found this helpful