When young adult novels like Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give are so hyped up by its readers, with a 4.6 out of 5 score on Goodreads and a 95% rating from Google users, it can raise skepticism in the awaiting readers as to whether it is worthy of all of the praise it is receiving. The highly popular book in question centers around the Black Lives Matter movement, but more specifically, around a teenage girl named Starr Carter. Starr is only sixteen years old when she witnesses her best friend, Khalil, being shot down by a police officer. Suddenly her life is turned upside-down when Khalil’s death goes viral, and everyone wants to know what exactly happened that fatal night and whose fault  it was. Starr was the sole witness to this incident, so she is pressured to be thrust into the spotlight.

 While this book does center around the Black Lives Matter movement, it comments on so much more than that by expressing a message involving systematic racism in daily society. One example of this subtle, and sometimes not-so-subtle, racism is after Khalil’s death. Many of Starr’s peers, as well as the mainstream media, believe that any drug dealing or  alleged gang activity that Khalil had involved himself in justified his murder. Senior Ijeoma Alaezi comments on the importance of people of other races being aware of the systematic racism African-American individuals face by saying, “Until people choose to speak up against this discrimination, tensions will continue to rise and there will be no way to make amends. If we keep pushing these issues to the side as if they don’t matter, then how can we expect ‘liberty and justice for all?’”

 An interesting aspect of the book is the dynamic between Starr’s two communities: a predominantly black neighborhood and the suburban prep school where she is only one of the two African-American students in her class. She repeatedly discusses her struggles with the need to behave differently in each environment, causing her to question which personality is the “real her.” There is also a struggle within Starr involving her view of police officers, as she had watched the police kill two of her friends in her lifetime; however her uncle, one of the most important people in her life, is a police officer as well. This books tackles more than just racism, though. English teacher Mrs. Genesky commented, “Thomas also places the narrator in other situations that are both big and small, like overprotective parents, feeling out of place at school, drug use, teenage sex, etc.” Watching Starr deal with these internal dilemmas is one of the highlights of this book.

 So was this book worth the hype? Most definitely, as it provides refreshing and relatable commentary from a likable protagonist. It provides an honest account on what teens like Starr face on a day-to-day basis. This book is able to get across all of its thematic points on race, culture and community by properly blending humor and seriousness. Everyone should pick up this book as soon as they possibly can.