With each new chapter The Hate U Give solidified itself as one of the most relevant novels of the last five years.
At some points it felt as if I was reading a memoir from a survivor of one of the many headlines on today’s news.
At times through the novel I felt uncomfortable because the narrator doesn’t give up. Doesn’t allow the reader to fall into a false sense of comfort. It doesn’t make excuses and it didn’t cave into “social norms.” Even if you knew the ending, unlike me, would be the same as all the others in the news, it still gives you a sense of empowerment. Especially in it’s young woman.
From the narrators use of dialect, the novel wasn’t like anything I’ve read before. I saw pieces of myself in Starr and pieces of her life I wish would come to an end. It goes to show that the best weapon against oppression is your own voice.
If this novel makes you comfortable, good, it should.
The Daily Haley 