Teen Book Club Event! - The Hate U Give

by Kamryn, Sweet Teen Squad

​As you might know February is Black History Month, and I wanted to celebrate it by reading and discussing one of my favorite books! It's called The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book is amazing, and it is honestly one of my favorites so I hope you enjoy it too!
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About the Book
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
-Synopsis from the publisher

 
Here are some questions we will be discussing:
 
1.In the first chapter, Khalil and Starr listen to Tupac in the car. Khalil explains what Tupac said “Thug Life” meant. Discuss what this acronym means and how it shows up throughout the book. How else does the author use hip-hop as a motif?
 
2.Throughout the novel, Starr refers to police officer Brian Cruise as One-Fifteen, which is his badge number. Why do you think she does this? Does her attitude toward police officers change over the course of the book? How does her uncle play into this change?
 
 
The book can be found on the library website as a book, an audiobook, or on Overdrive or Libby.

The book club will be held Saturday, February 13th at 2:00 pm. This event will be online:
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/98103476634?pwd=TkRIbjlETURnR3dXNElDM3lKUG8wUT09

Please email mgonsalves-vorwald@slcpl.org with any questions!

​For more amazing books by Black authors see this list.