The Hate U Give, a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas, delves into the complexities of race, identity, and justice through the eyes of its protagonist, Starr Carter. Expanded from a short story Thomas wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant, the book quickly became a commercial success, debuting at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list.
Narrated by Starr, a sixteen-year-old African-American girl, the story unfolds in two contrasting worlds: Garden Heights, her predominantly black and impoverished neighborhood, and Williamson Prep, an affluent, primarily white private school.
Identity and Blackness As Themes in The Hate U Give
The Incident
Starr attends a party in her neighborhood, Garden Heights, with Kenya, a friend with whom she shares an older half-brother, Seven. At the party, Starr reunites with her childhood friend, Khalil Harris. Gunshots from a gang fight interrupt the party, and Khalil offers to take Starr home.
While Khalil drives, he explains rapper Tupac Shakur’s idea that “Thug Life” stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants F---- Everybody.” Soon after, a white police officer with the badge number one-fifteen pulls them over. Khalil questions the motivation for the stop, and One-Fifteen orders him out of the car and searches him. One-Fifteen commands Khalil not to move, and returns to his car. Khalil opens the door to check on Starr.
One-Fifteen shoots Khalil. Starr has nightmares about the death of another childhood friend, Natasha, who died in the crossfire of a gang shooting.
Read also: Waste to Wonder: Flip Flop Art
Navigating Two Worlds
Ever since attending Williamson Prep, Starr feels out of place in the Garden Heights social scene. At school on Monday, Starr feels tense around Hailey and Chris, her white friend and boyfriend, as memories of Khalil’s death interrupt her thoughts and she realizes they don’t understand. Keeping the secret from her white boyfriend Chris and her best friends Hailey Grant and Maya Yang - who all attend Williamson Prep - weighs on Starr, as does her need to keep her Williamson and Garden Heights personalities separate.
At the urging of her uncle Carlos, a police officer, Starr goes into the police station after school with her mother, Lisa, to testify about Khalil’s shooting. Starr realizes that the officers are asking more questions about whether Khalil was a troublemaker than about the night of the shooting. She worries that justice for Khalil will not be served. Starr agrees to an interview with police about the shooting after being encouraged by her Uncle Carlos, who is also a detective. Carlos was a father figure to Starr when her father, Maverick, spent three years in prison for gang activity.
The Aftermath and Rising Tensions
At Khalil’s funeral, a lawyer and activist named April Ofrah confirms Starr’s fears when she announces that the police will not pursue legal action against One-Fifteen and invites the attendees to a rally in Khalil’s honor. Starr blames herself for the police’s inaction. King, the head of a local gang called the King Lords, also interrupts the funeral and places a gray bandana on Khalil’s casket, signifying Khalil’s membership in the King Lords. Following his release, Maverick left the gang and became the owner of the Garden Heights grocery store where Starr and her older half-brother Seven work. Maverick was only allowed to leave his gang, the King Lords, because he confessed to a crime to protect gang-leader King.
The news that the police won’t prosecute One-Fifteen leads to days of protests in Garden Heights. During this time, Maverick, Starr’s father, explains to her his interpretation of Tupac’s phrase “Thug Life.” He believes that Thug Life describes a system designed against black communities. Only by speaking out can black communities begin to break the cycle. Khalil's death becomes a national news story. The media portrays Khalil as a gang banger and drug dealer, while portraying One-Fifteen more favorably.
Kenya's Influence
Kenya asks Starr why she hasn’t told anyone that she’s the witness. Starr says she’s afraid, and that talking to the police changed nothing. Kenya shouts that Starr would defend her Williamson friends, but won’t defend Khalil. Kenya argues that Starr has the chance to change the neighborhood. Kenya articulates the distance built between Starr’s Garden Heights and Williamson selves. Kenya accuses Starr of abandoning the neighborhood and Khalil for an easier and safer life, and states that Starr’s abandonment will allow the violence in the neighborhood to continue. Because Starr did not want to admit her shame and fear of Garden Heights, Kenya’s accusation forces her to reexamine her choices and priorities.
Read also: Discover Sentrim Elementaita Lodge
One of the only Garden Heights friends with whom Starr has remained close, Kenya is beautiful, bold, and possessive. The daughter of King and Iesha, she and Starr share Seven as a half brother, though Kenya usually refers to him as her brother, seemingly refusing to acknowledge Starr’s relationship to him. This exclusion indicates a deep fear she has that Seven is ashamed of her, an assumption she makes because of their mother’s reputation. Despite this insecurity, Kenya presents herself as self-assured and confident, never afraid to back down from a fight. Kenya is the reason Starr was at Big D’s party the night of the shooting, and when she learns that Starr was the witness to Khalil’s murder, Kenya challenges Starr to speak out with a greater boldness. Kenya accuses her of being ashamed of Garden Heights and trying to distance herself from her ties to the neighborhood. This criticism is a huge reason Starr chooses to lean more into activism, emboldened by Kenya’s bravery to find her own voice. Although Kenya is King’s daughter, she remains close with Starr’s family, even helping DeVante to escape him.
Taking a Stand
At the Carter family’s grocery store, a teenage member of the King Lords named DeVante begs Maverick, a former King Lord, to help him leave the gang. Maverick agrees. Starr sees DeVante’s request as a chance to help someone in a similar situation as Khalil. A few days later, Maverick gets into an argument with the neighborhood barber, Mr. Lewis. Although the argument is peaceful, two police officers intervene, and when they see Maverick is Starr’s father, they push him to the ground and search him. The police overhear the argument and intervene, ignoring Mr. Lewis’s insistence that they were having a conversation. Their expressions change when they read Maverick’s ID. Starr realizes they know he’s related to her, Khalil’s witness. The police pin Maverick to the ground.
The District Attorney calls Lisa to announce that a grand jury will hear the case against One-Fifteen and asks if Starr will testify. Starr agrees, and April Ofrah decides to represent Starr pro bono, and also find a way to get Starr a television interview. Meanwhile, DeVante tells Starr that Khalil had never been a member of the King Lords and only sold drugs for King to protect his mother, who had stolen money from King. Starr's identity as the witness is initially kept secret from everyone outside Starr's family, including her younger brother Sekani.
The Grand Jury and the Riot
During Starr’s television interview, she decides, against Ms. Ofrah’s advice, to talk about the truth behind Khalil’s drug dealing. Starr’s implication of King enrages him. The night before her grand jury testimony, someone throws a brick and fires a gun into the Carter household. Unsure if the culprits are the King Lords or the police, Starr almost backs out of testifying. However, she ultimately decides that Khalil needs her truth. Almost two months later, the grand jury announces their decision not to indict One-Fifteen. Starr and some of her friends get caught up in the resulting riots.
As she tries to avoid the chaos, Starr stumbles upon a protest led by Ms. Ofrah. She offers Starr the megaphone, and Starr leads a chant in front of the protest. The police try to break up the protest with tear gas. Starr, Chris, Seven, and DeVante - a teenager whom Maverick helped leave the King Lords - defend Maverick's store from King, though it does get burned down.
Read also: Best Nairobi Excursions
Confrontation and Resolution
Starr and her friends head to the Carter family store to get milk to help heal their eyes. A Molotov cocktail lands in the store, setting it ablaze and trapping them. Maverick arrives just in time to unlock the back door. King arrives to taunt them, proud about getting his revenge. The police arrive, and King, confident that no one will testify against him, claims ignorance. However, the neighbors rally around the Carter family and tell the police that they saw King throw the Molotov cocktail. The police arrest King. Although the grocery store is in ruins, Starr knows that the family will rebuild. The neighborhood stands up to King and as a result of testimony by DeVante, King is arrested and expected to be imprisoned for a lengthy sentence.
Themes and Significance
The Hate U Give explores numerous themes, including racial injustice, police brutality, identity, code-switching, and the power of voice. The novel does not shy away from the realities of urban life, exemplified by the title's reference to the Tupac Shakur quote.
Discussing the title, The Atlantic wrote, "Thomas's book derives its title from the rapper Tupac Shakur's philosophy of THUG LIFE-which purportedly stands for 'The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody'-and it's a motif the novel returns to a few times. The acronym tattooed across Tupac's abdomen could be read as an embrace of a dangerous lifestyle.
The book earned starred reviews from multiple review journals. Kirkus praised both its writing and timelines: "With smooth but powerful prose ... This story is necessary.
The novel's impact extends beyond its literary merit. In July 2018, a South Carolina police union raised objections to the inclusion of the book, as well as the similarly themed All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds, in the summer reading list for ninth-grade students of Wando High School. The book was removed from the school libraries of the Katy Independent School District due to its explicit language. Thomas responded to these challenges by defending the book's message and saying that it is a spur for conversation.
The Hate U Give was adapted into a film by 20th Century Fox in October 2018, which received positive reviews. The movie also features Issa Rae, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Algee Smith, KJ Apa, Lamar Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Common, and Sabrina Carpenter.
Popular articles:
tags: #Kenya
