THE HATE YOU GIVE - ANGIE THOMAS // Book Review

I wanted my first book of 2019 to be a five star read and so to nearly guarantee that, I decided to read one of the most hyped up books of 2018, The Hate You Give. It is safe to say immediately that it did not disappoint me one bit and that it definitely was a 5/5 read for me and in this post, you will hopefully, be able to tell why I love it so much. 

If you haven't heard of this book then where have you been? This book is all about the Black Lives Matter movement and this book discusses multiple racial issues in modern society. The main plot of this book is that our main character, Starr, is the only witness in the shooting of her unarmed black friend, which was done by a white police officer. From this point on, you see Starr discovering the injustices surrounding her town and where she lives, you see her cope with grief but you also see her learn how to stand up for herself and the people she loves. 

This story is so impactful, it is devastating and heartbreaking but the message it delivers is so relevant, it is a story everyone should read. The issue of violence towards black people is still a huge problem in modern society and this story does a really good job of demonstrating that. It is set in the present tense, in modern society and you read from Starr's point of view just how unfair it really can be.

One of the reasons I love this book so much is because of the characters. You are exposed to such a wide variety of characters all of which are from different backgronds, have suffered through different problems yet they all find each other. The relationships and friendships in this book are so prominent, you feel like you are with them. I particularly love Starr's family because they are each problematic in their own way but they always work it out as a family, which is so heartwarming to read.

Another element of this book which I love is how it discusses young interracial relationships as well as how other people's opinions can effect it. Without saying too much, Starr's boyfriend is white and throughout this book, you see Starr follow this journey where she faces judgement and disapproval which leads to some of her opening up about her difficulties, internally, when handling this relationship. It was definitely really insightful, for me, to read because it reminded me that there is still prejudice surrounding race and even though I am not in an interradical relationship myself, it gave me just a small taste of what it would be like for someone, which has made me think more carefully about the way our society can be. I definitely did not expect this book to tackle an interracial relationship but I think that it was very educational and I think it could benefit a lot of people if they were to read this book. 

There are so many moments I love in this book and I loved them so much that I actually went back and markeked them in the book because some little moments just had such an impact on me, that I would love to go back and revisit them at some point. 

I don't really want to spoil anymore on this book but I think everyone should go and read it. The topics this book discusses are so relevent, important and are areas that need to be discussed more. I'm sure a lot of you have read this book so do let me know in the comments what you thought of it. 

Grace xx