black lives matter · Fiction · National Book Awards Longlist
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas — Summary, Key Ideas & Quotes
2017448 pages✦ 3-min Big ideas★ 4.3 (132)
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What is The Hate U Give about?
The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil. She speaks up about the shooting in increasingly public ways, and social tensions culminate in a riot after a grand jury decides not to indict the police officer for the shooting. The Hate U Give was published on February 28, 2017, by HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray, which had won a bidding war for the rights to the novel. The book was a commercial success, debuting at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks. It won several awards and received critical praise for Thomas's writing and timely subject matter. In writing the novel, Thomas attempted to expand readers' understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as difficulties faced by black Americans who employ code switching. These themes, as well as the vulgar language, attracted some controversy and caused the book to be one of the most challenged books of 2017 and 2018 according to the American Library Association.
A glimpse inside
Duality of Identity
Starr Carter’s life is defined by her navigation between her poor, predominantly Black neighborhood (Garden Heights) and her wealthy, mostly white private school. This duality forces her to code-switch, altering how she speaks and acts to fit each environment. The novel explores the psychological toll of this split, highlighting how systemic pressures force marginalized individuals to fragment their identities for acceptance or safety. Starr’s journey is about reconciling these parts of herself and realizing she shouldn’t have to hide any aspect of who she is.
Systemic Racism and Police Violence
At its core, the novel is a response to real-world police shootings of unarmed Black people. Through Khalil’s death and the aftermath, Thomas exposes the ways in which systemic racism operates—not just in policing, but in media portrayals, legal proceedings, and public perception. The story challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about bias, injustice, and the dehumanization of Black victims, making abstract issues painfully personal.
Ratings at a glance
Open Library
★ 4.3 / 5
132 ratings
✦
Get smart in 3 min
6 key ideas, distilled
- 1Duality of Identity
- 2Systemic Racism and Police Violence
- 3The Power and Cost of Speaking Out
- 4Family and Community Resilience
- 5Media, Stereotypes, and Narrative Control
Popular quotes from The Hate U Give
“What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
“Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared.”
“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”
“At the end of the day, you can't be silent.”
Frequently asked
The Hate U Give is a 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas. It is Thomas's debut novel, expanded from a short story she wrote in college in reaction to the police shooting of Oscar Grant. The book is narrated by Starr Carter, a 16-year-old black girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city. Starr becomes entangled in a natio