“The Hate U Give” has powerful message of race and identity
Photo courtesy of angiethomas.com
October 27, 2018
“The Hate U Give,” directed by George Tillman Jr, is a new movie based on Angie Thomas’s novel of the same name. Released on October 5, the movie stars Amandla Stenberg as the main character, Starr. Starr grows up in a crime-ridden, majority black community called Garden Heights. In her neighborhood, she has one friend, Kenya, and lives with her dad, mom, and two brothers. Although much of Starr’s life is spent in Garden Heights, she attends a predominantly white private school due to her parents fear of what may result in having their kids go to the local public school. Starr feels that there are two versions of herself: a Garden Heights version where she embraces her community and culture, and a school version who feels uncomfortable and unsafe talking about any social or political issue. Although the story starts with Starr beginning to understand and accept both versions of herself, trauma soon arises and Starr’s life becomes chaos, and she finds it hard to feel safe anywhere.
The title of both the film and the book stem from the acronym “Thug Life”, made famous by Tupac, which stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants F***’s Everybody.” The title reflects the plot and many of the themes that are addressed in the film. The main event in the film is the aftermath of Starr being the only witness to her childhood friend, Khalil, being gunned down by a white police officer who believes that Khalil has a weapon. Throughout the movie, Starr tackles how to have a voice while maintaining a feeling of safety, both in her school and in her neighborhood, where she is being threatened by King Lord, a drug lord, and Khalil’s old boss.
“The Hate U Give” provides a powerful image for many current issues. It touches on themes of police brutality and being a minority, and especially on being a woman of color. The film gives a brutally honest portrayal of how police brutality affects communities of color. However, the movie also touches on issues of gangs and drugs, particularly within Black communities.
“The Hate U Give” is a movie worth your time. It is nothing less than a remarkably breathtaking film, and it paints a refreshing and heartbreaking picture of a young woman of color in the 21st century.
Sabrina • Jun 3, 2021 at 10:24 am
I think this is a great book with everything thats going on I taught myself about things that have been going and This book has a great moral and the thing that had got me is when Khail talks about something that 2 pac said ““Thug Life” stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants F—- Everybody.” Soon after, a white police officer with the badge number one-fifteen pulls them over. so that right there makes me think wow this is something that hit me and then i started reading more books and started getting into black history and the thing that got me is when start stood up for herself and every other black person and she was getting justice and if you think about all the black men or women that have been getting shot or killed we are doing the same thing in this movie we are getting justice for our kids our grandkids and more generations to come so i think this is a great book!
Tanya • May 7, 2021 at 4:44 pm
@ Gabriel, I do believe it’s something a 13-year-old should be reading, in fact, I read the book when it had first come out, making me barely 13 when I read it. If your concern is the talk about drugs or partying, I can assure you that by the time kids are in middle school they’re well aware of these types of things. The book’s purpose is not to spoil a child’s innocence but to expose them to a reality they might not be aware of yet. Especially now, in 2021, where police brutality is such a relevant topic, middle schoolers need to be aware that this is a reality their classmate might face; it can happen to any POC. Nothing the book discusses is something a 13-year-old shouldn’t be aware of, but rather stuff they should start educating themselves on.
Carlisha Slaughter • Dec 4, 2020 at 12:01 pm
I really enjoyed watching this movie. I have watched this movie 5 times. I have read the book only just 1 time This movie was great. I like how @Agie Thomas wrote the book. I really loved how Starr finally spoked up for herself she wasn’t afraid anymore to speak up she didn’t care what others would say or think about her because of what she did or saw.
Gabriel • Nov 17, 2019 at 5:25 pm
I think the movie is fine but do you think the book should be something for a 13 yr old in middle school should be reading for school?