The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Have you seen or read this book yet? It was sort of everywhere last year. I finally got my hands on it and read it a few weeks ago, and WOAH. 

Starr Carter lives in Garden Heights, but goes to school in a more prestigious part of the city. None mostly as being the daughter of her father the store owner, Starr is a bit in limbo. She doesn't really fit in in Garden Heights, but going to a school in a different neighborhood is somewhat surreal as well--she goes home to a different world than all her classmates. 

After a party breaks up, Starr is heading home with a childhood best friend when they are pulled over by a cop. They have been told how to act when a cop stops you, but Khalil goes a little off script by moving to see if Starr is okay when the officer doesn't expect it. Within seconds he is dying on the ground. 

Suddenly, Starr is in the maelstrom emotions--grief over losing yet another childhood friend to senseless violence, disbelief as the media paints a completely different picture of Khalil than the Khalil she knew, and indecision about whether she should speak out as the only witness to his death. She has spoken to the detectives, but she is only referred to as "the witness" in the media. Should she speak out? Would her family be in danger if she did? How would her friends and white boyfriend at her prep school react? 

In the midst of her grief and indecision, Starr's older brother's step-dad starts getting more and more out of hand. As the local drug lord, King has reigned over his small kingdom of Garden Heights and destroys those who question him. When their neighborhood is the center of media attention, a neighbor speaks out against King and so begins an internal, neighborhood struggle while this larger police brutality struggle is being played out in national media attention. 

Full of amazing characters, interesting family dynamics, timely racial discussions, and a pervading sense of hope, this book is FABULOUS.  

I loved Starr. Her strength, her humor, her kindness, and resiliency... She is sort of majorly awesome. 

Angie Thomas is kind of majorly awesome too. 

Read this.