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Mark Salanger

Mr. Newvine

AP Literature & Composition

14 April 2019

Introduction

The Hate U Give,​ written by Angie Thomas, is a novel that tells the story of Starr Carter,

a 16 year old African American woman who lives in a mostly poor neighborhood called Garden

Heights but attends a predominantly white school located nearly an hour away that is known as

Williamson Prep. After being pulled over for a broken tail light, Starr witnesses her close friend

Khalil, a teenage African American, get shot by a police officer for no justifiable reason. The

story told by Angie Thomas not only discusses police brutality, but prejudice, belonging, and

speaking out among many other topics.

Beef

This novel is filled with beef, ranging from girl fights in high school to full on gang

rivalries. There is also an element of internal beef that many of the characters face as well. This

book does not miss a beat when it comes to conflict and, therefore, deserves an “iconic” rating in

the category of beef. One strong example of beef played out through this novel is between Starr

and her supposed best friend, Hailey. The progression of conflict between Starr and Hailey made

this something that built up and added tension throughout the entirety of the story. Not only did

the interactions directly involve Starr and Hailey, but the beef developed their characters as well

as others involved, such as Maya, the middle man between the two. As told by Thomas, “‘It’s

not my fault she can’t get over a ​joke​ from freaking freshman year! Just like it’s not my fault you
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can’t get over what happened to Khalil’” (341). These comments said by Hailey led to a full on

fight, but it was more than a physical fight. This conflict did not just cover a fist fight, but

covereda fight due to blatant racism. The beef throughout this novel is intriguing and tense, but it

has meaning and ultimately advocates for change.

Characterization

In ​The Hate U Give​ there are many characters, but they all have a purpose and they add

depth to the story. Over the course of the 444 pages, each character truly develops in one way or

another. For that reason, I believe this book deserves an “iconic” rating as well. Maverick,

Starr’s father, begins as a strong headed father. He wants to stay in Garden Heights and strongly

disapproves of his daughter dating a white boy. By the end of this book, he has accepted moving

out of his home in Garden Heights and has learned to accept Chris, Starr’s boyfriend. This

development of his character exemplified the fact that he cares about his family more than he

does anything else. Furthermore, the protagonist Starr shows significant growth throughout the

novel as well. After witnessing not one, but two of her closest friends get murdered, Starr has a

tough time speaking out for Khalil along with the many injustices black people face. As depicted

in ​The Hate U Give​, “No matter what that grand jury decided, I’m still ‘Starr who was with

Khalil’, and I don’t wanna be seen tonight. Just heard” (Thomas 392). When the grand jury

decided not to indict the officer that murdered Khalil, Starr snapped. She went from hiding the

fact that she was the witness to leading a protest on top of a car in honor of Khalil. Starr’s

development as a character effects others too; if she were not to speak out, the protests may not

have reached the heights they did. The importance of all the characters as well as the

development of them was simply amazing and Angie Thomas did an amazing job with that.
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Entertaining & Engaging

Upon opening this book, it was difficult to put down. I spent multiple nights reading

through the middle of the night because I literally could not put it down. This book surpasses the

rating of a five in this category. The story highlights crazy parties, teen dating, gang wars, a court

case, drugs, and many other topics. There is always something happening, whether or not it is

important with regards to today's society. The novel begins at a banger of party which, in itself,

is intriguing. As illustrated by Angie Thomas, “A haze lingers over the room, smelling like

weed, and music rattles the floor” (1). This by itself is entertaining and engaging, and this is only

the start of the conflict and plot development that occurs. The plot of this book does not only

focus on Starr but other characters as well, which made this book even more enjoyable to read.

DeVante, a black teenager, is taken in by Starr’s Uncle Carlos and his family as he is trying to

escape the realm of the King Lords, the gang that has taken over Garden Heights. As told in the

novel ​The Hate U Give​, “‘Big Mav, how’d you get out of the game?’ DeVante asks” (Thomas

174). I enjoyed reading about DeVante, his escape from the King Lords, and whether he would

be able to make himself a good life. DeVante’s story was very engaging even though he is a

secondary character. DeVante’s story is just as important as Starr’s, and this is another reason

why this novel is better than the fence jump. You don’t have to read the entire book to get one

fence jump. There are about ten fence jumps in this book as the stories of all the characters, both

primary and secondary, are engaging and important.

Pertinence in Society

As for pertinence in society, this book is off the charts, yet again. It reflects upon more

than just police brutality, although that is a main theme throughout the novel. The issue of drug
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dealing, racism, protests, speaking out, identity, among so many other issues in our society are

talked about. The list could go on. This book is an excellent window of these issues listed. As a

white male, it is not easy to understand the difficulties that African Americans and other

oppressed groups face. This was hands down the most eye-opening book I have read, and it has

inspired me to not accept the fact that our country has an immediate issue with racism and

oppression but help make a change. One issue brought to my attention had to due with drug

dealing. As explained by Thomas through the character Maverick, “‘I became a King Lord when

I was twelve. Shit, that was the only way to survive’” (175). The problem with people selling

drugs to help their families and loved ones is an issue that is not easily recognized by most

people, myself included. Khalil, DeVante, and Maverick, among many, were forced to sell in

order to get by. In Khalil’s case, it made him look like a really bad person. I think it is so

important Thomas included issues such as this because it shows that there are two sides to every

story. Sadly, this side is harder to see, but ​The Hate U Give s​ heds light on a multitude of

problems surrounding race and poverty that everybody should recognize.

Craft

Ill, mess, bruh. This is the language that Angie Thomas uses to make this book come to

life. These are things that real people say. This book is not a rather large book due to the plot, but

rather the detail that lies within it. For example, Starr has a massive obsession for sneakers and

uses them as a way to characterize people. As depicted in the novel, “Seven’s hoodie and my

Jordans disappear into a black trash bag, and I never see them again” (Thomas 27). The night

before, Starr had complimented Khalil on his Jordans, but now hers are gone because they are

covered in blood. Something as simple as a pair of shoes added so much effect to the death of
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Khalil. This type of detail is why ​The Hate U Give s​ urpasses a five for craft. In addition, the

officer that killed Khalil is referred to as “Officer 115” by Starr. This small detail dehumanizes

the officer that murdered Khalil, and these small creative decisions help to make this book even

better. The tears shed and the laughs I had made reading this book more than a typical

assignment for school.

Conclusion

The issues discussed in this book are, unfortunately, a reality for many people, and it is

important that our society, country, and world are made aware of these issues. We cannot

continue to let these injustices happen, and Angie Thomas’ ​The Hate U Give h​ ighlights these

difficulties, mainly regarding the racism and prejudice that we see today. As I wrote this paper, I

did not simply give it the highest rating possible for no reason. This book genuinely has opened

my eyes and has inspired myself and many of my classmates to advocate for change. Although

this novel is intended for young adults, it is a must read for people of all ages, gender, and race.
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Works Cited

Thomas, Angie. ​The Hate U Give​. Walker Books, 2018.