My husband “doesn’t read books.” I knew that long before we got married, yet I’m still regularly shocked that I, a former English teacher and lover of language, married a man who doesn’t read. It’s not that he can’t read – he reads his grad school textbooks cover to cover. But he never chooses to read. He finds no joy in the notion of snuggling up with a good book to get lost in the story. The only time I’ve ever seen him read fiction was when I asked him to read with me for my birthday last year. Even then, he never finished the book.
All of this was true until I suggested that we listen to an audiobook together in November. We would be driving back and forth across state lines for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations all winter, so why not spend that extensive time in the car together with a book? My husband begrudgingly agreed, so I downloaded The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
Even with all the multi-hour car rides, it still took a long time to finish. We started the book a few days before Thanksgiving, but we didn’t finish it until March because we only ever listened to it in the car together. But the drawn-out reading period did nothing to diminish our love for the story. Reading this powerful, relevant, important book together has been one of the greatest simple joys of the early months of our marriage. Not only did we get to share the experience of listening to these characters’ lives unfold, but we got to talk about it, too – our own little marriage book club!
Touchy Subjects
I still wonder whether my husband simply hadn’t read a good book before, or if he really was just blown away by this one. Regardless, it’s hard to downplay how much he and I loved this novel. I had heard of The Hate U Give before choosing it, but I hadn’t told my husband about its contents. The book did a good job of leading up to it, so my husband wasn’t shocked when Khalil was shot by a police officer in the first few chapters, but he was surprised that I’d chosen this as our first book to read together. Because of that, we talked about it often. My husband would make guesses as to what might happen next or why particular characters acted in the way they did.
More than that, though, we were able to talk about race in a way that was positive and productive. Both of us are white, and, honestly, talking about race can sometimes feel awkward or tense, even when you’re surrounded by people who look the same as you, even loved ones. The Hate U Give gave us a way to discuss contemporary issues that made us both feel safer because we had a common starting point.
Breathtaking Characters
The Hate U Give is a powerful book, not only because of its fictional contents, but because of the way it extends into the real world, commenting on contemporary issues and offering guidance for important discussions. One way this works so well in the book is because Starr, who, like Khalil, is black, has an uncle who is a police officer. This novel very easily could have been completely against the police, but that wasn’t the case. The complexity of Starr’s uncle in the police force makes the story feel more real and tangible. Further, Starr has a white boyfriend, altering the way Starr and her family view other white people.
Above all, I was most impressed by the characters Angie Thomas created. She does an incredible job of portraying consistent yet dynamic characters, all of whom impact Starr immensely. There’s Maverick, Starr’s father, who takes such pride in his store, family and neighborhood. Then there’s Miss Ofrah, the outspoken activist lawyer who takes Starr’s case. Starr’s friends, Kenya, Maya and Hailey, make her reconsider of what friendship truly means, while her mom and brothers, Seven and Sekani, help her to define her family, even when she gets annoyed by them. Chris and Uncle Carlos clarify Starr’s view of white people and police officers, and they also guide her through the turbulence of a high school romance. All these characters are fully developed in what feels like such a short book (even though it took us a long time to read it), and each one of them is unforgettable.
Rating: 5/5
Book: The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Genre: YA, contemporary fiction
Length: 464 pages, 11 hrs 40 mins in audiobook format
Setting: urban neighborhood, USA, modern day
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