As the death makes headlines, her friends and community begin to take sides. Starr Carter’s entire world changes when her childhood friend is fatally shot by a police officer in front of her. This quote comes from a moment in the book when Starr realizes that she let a racist comment slip by against her friend Maya without saying anything or addressing it, which causes her to see how racism can perpetuate when no one takes a stand against it. This not only happens when she must decide to be a witness for the investigation into Khalil’s death, but also how she interacts with her friends. Starr struggles with using her voice to advocate for herself, her community and friends throughout the novel. I chose this quote because I felt that it summed up the focus of the novel succinctly. “What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?” The characters in this novel are also very relatable and feel honest and true, which can help readers empathize with Starr and her family, allowing them to see the “common humanity within us all” (Hunter, 2015). As a counter-story, this book would help readers “understand what life is like for others” and invite readers into this world as described by Hughes-Hassell. Readers may have only heard of the Black Lives Matter movement and other experiences described in the book through the media, which does not always provide a in-depth or comprehensive view. Each character has a sense of dignity and is not reduced to just a label. The characters in this novel have many different viewpoints and do not follow typical stereotypes of African-American culture, especially within poorer areas. In Advanced Young Adult Literature, Chance stresses the importance of young adolescent literature that tells the story of the minority experience but do not perpetuate stereotypes, which is done well in this novel (2014, p. This novel is very unique and timely, providing a glimpse into the type of discrimination that African-Americans often experience through the justice system. Through the course of the novel, Starr must decide to use her voice to be an advocate for Khalil and help him get the justice he deserves, even at the expense of her life as she is targeted by a gang leader and police. The community in which she lives is angered by the death since Khalil was unarmed, but the mainly white prep school that she attends believes the media’s depiction of Khalil as a drug dealer and thug. Starr’s entire world is shattered when she witnesses her friend, Khalil’s death at the hands of the police. In Hate U Give, Angie Thomas delivers a powerful story about the effects of fatal police shooting and how it can affect one girl’s life and her community as a whole.
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