Impact of The Hate U Give

Impact of The Hate U Give

The catastrophe that drives The Hate U Give is something that is, lamentably, exceptionally consistent with life and dreadfully normal: the shooting of an unarmed African American. In The Hate You Give the young man’s name is Khalil (Algee Smith), and a cop shoots him right in front of  his companion Starr (Amandla Stenberg) after they get pulled over while driving home from a gathering. As Khalil’s death dominates the news cycle everywhere, Starr is highly strung with confusion as to why she is struggling to speak up about the injustice she witnessed. While both the movie and the book are fiction, the story was propelled by one occurrence in particular.

Angie Thomas, the author of The Hate U Give, wrote the short story that would later become a young adult novel while she was in college around the time that Oscar Grant was killed by a police officer in 2009. Thomas then went to an interview where she spoke about the situation, “’The Hate U Give’ Explores Racism And Police Violence.” NPR, NPR, 26 Feb. 2017. During the interview Thomas says, “He was an unarmed young black male who had a record,”. Thomas also mentions,  “And at the time when his death was making headlines, more people were talking about what he had done in his past than the fact that he unjustly lost his life.” Thomas proceeded to say that while Khalil was partially modeled after Grant, after college as the short story then became an entire book, other similar situations began to influence her. (“’The Hate U Give’ Explores Racism And Police Violence.” NPR, NPR, 26 February.

Thomas’s The Hate U Give  portrays police brutality, the current racial issues in America, and the impact they have on society. The novel also develops a deep level of understanding of the emotions of the people caused by real life situations demonstrated in the story. Many police officers do tend to abuse their power, which is conveyed in the book. There are many corrupt police officers that target Africans Americans in the United States, and this has been a nationwide concern and tragedy. Many of the very people meant to protect Americans kill them on American soil for no reason. Many people have lost their lives and many movements have been orchestrated to make changes against this problem. Police brutality has become much more common and this book gets into raw detail about the horrors experienced by victims of police brutality. Thomas has the ability to make change amongst its audience. It inspires others to spread awareness to make a change for the wellbeing of this nation.

Thomas provides a tremendous feeling of authenticity to it on the grounds that for some people, it is very relatable. Many families across the world have lost loved ones due to police brutality. Regardless of whether it be something they have seen, or something they have been engaged in. This novel is not just for entertainment but also to teach people a lesson. A lesson that says that racism is still happening every day and this film for many people is a wakeup call.

The concept of the novel was very intimate. Thomas’s The Hate U Give touches upon a situation that anyone can encounter. Starr is the only black girl in her junior class who lives in a poor black neighborhood that sees more than its fair share of gang violence. She is the daughter of an ex-gang member who served time in prison. Starr saw one of her two best friends get  killed in a drive-by when she was ten years old, and now unfortunately witnessed her other childhood best friend get shot by a police officer. Even though I do not live in a neighborhood where I walk around with fear all the time, I was able to empathize with the Starr. I had always known that the world we live in has it beauties, but along with its beauty comes its flaws. We live in a society where we are still divided by race, a society where our justice system is flawed. We live in a society where we still struggle to distinguish what is bad, and what is good. Unfortunately, some kids are taught to hate. No one is born with hate. This book shows the severity of a problematic generation, and brings to question “ What has really changed? ” There have been civil rights movements and fights for equality, however, many of them quickly transformed into riots. Racism will remain a continuous and controversial issue until us humans realize that we all have unalienable rights; we were all created equally. No matter what race, religion, or country of  origin, we all bleed the same color.

Reading The Hate U Give was an exceptional reading experience for me. As I turned each page, I wanted to learn more about the characters, their daily lives, their relationships. Reading The Hate U Give left me wanting to know how their worldview was impacted by their personal encounters. It provided a window into a world I am unfamiliar with, but have observed through national news reporting. The Hate U Give is a timely, relevant read, and it personified the reality of racism. It has broadened my understanding of others’ life experiences.

Reading this novel made me think about the future. As a female I know that I will one day have the ability to have children, and the responsibility to raise them correctly. This book inspires me to make a change for humanity one step at a time. Although this novel has already raised awareness, I myself am determined to change my ways. I have to admit I was not as open minded as I am now that I have read this book. This book changed my perspective and altered my view on the justice system of the United States. It made me realize how unfair the authority in the country I am from can be. I also noticed I enjoy reading novels that speak about enduring issues.

Thomas did such an amazing job of making a horrible action into beautiful fiction that made me feel like I was right there, as if I was with them through all of their emotions. I heard so many good things about the novel and I just needed to see for myself. I read the reviews and many of the reviews mentioned that the book was banned from places because it made a bad impression of police officers. It does not at any point in this book bash police officers. It speaks about a variety of current controversial issues in the world. Instead of placing blame on anyone, Angie Thomas is allowing us readers to see that there are definitely two sides to every story, and for most of us, we have only really heard one of them. The novel never attacks or sets an image that implies police officers are monstrous. In the book it is proved that most aren’t, they just aren’t, they are humans. For example, Starr’s uncle is a police officer. He even worked with the police officer who allegedly shot Khalil ( Starr’s friend ). Over all, this story just floored me it allowed me to view a perspective I have never considered before. The novel offered insights into a world I am not a part of, and I loved every minute of it. I do not know what it feels like to watch a friend die by violence of any sort. The Hate U Give recognizes the ethical uncertainty inside individuals. It points out the ambiguity within African American, without degrading the characters. There are arguments made throughout this novel that helped me understand the whole story. For example, there are arguments made to explain why a police officer might act quickly and without proper judgement. There are also arguments in favor of the families involved in the situation. The story provided a vehicle to explore a controversial subject in a way that allowed me to fully understand the concept of the novel. Understanding this novel also includes changing the way I view the authority and justice system of the United States.