Starr Carter is a sixteen year old girl living in two different worlds. She lives in a black neighborhood but goes to a fancy prep school with mostly white students. The stability between her community and her school-life is disrupted when she witnesses a police officer shooting her childhood best friend Khalil, who was innocent and unarmed. Shortly afterwards, his death goes public and people start to spread rumors. It’s up to Starr to tell everyone the truth, but that truth could endanger her friendships, her community, and her life.

The Hate U Give is a powerful, well-written novel about identity, discrimination, and prejudice. It touches on difficult topics about real-world issues and can empower others to make a change. This book gave me a completely different perspective on the world and taught me how much my words can matter. Starr demonstrated that message through courage and strength, and displayed how important it is to speak up for what you believe in.

I believe that the characters were strong, well-balanced people who demonstrated the theme of the book with accuracy. The book filled me with despair, empathy and hope. This story has had widespread appeal and I recommend it to anyone who loves books with powerful female characters.

If you enjoyed this book, you should check out A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti, or All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.