A Review of "The Hate U Give" by Miracle Ladidi Moses
Angie Thomas' debut, "The Hate U Give" resonates so much with me because it revolves around family. The Starr’s family is one to admire. The relationship between her parents and her siblings; the love; the support, was beautiful to read. I love how Starr’s mum, Lisa, doesn’t treat Seven differently notwithstanding his being not her son. This shows us that family goes beyond blood and that together, we’re stronger.
Starr's childhood friend, Khalil got shot by a white cop and they were all about seeking justice for not just Khalil, but other black people who for decades have been victims of police brutality and racism. In the course of their pursuit, they find out that people only see what Khalil did and not why he got killed. The interrogations Starr endures showed that, and like she said, he was being charged for his own murder.
I found it hilarious that One Fifteen's dad twisted the whole narrative to paint his son as the victim. It was also familiar too. Manipulative people can make you think you're the problem.
To review THUG without talking about sweet Chris should be a blasphemy.
Starr and Chris' relationship leaves me "God whening". He's a completely different person from Starr. He is wealthy, white with bunch of privileges unlike Starr, yet he somehow connects with Starr in a way no one does. Except for Khalil, if we're to admit their obvious affection. But back to sweet Chris. Chris was supportive and understanding of her. Showing us that true love transcends skin colour. While this is true, I cannot sha marry a white man.
Using the character of Hailey, Angie also shows us what subtle racism can look like. Racism that is non-violent but is still as horrible. Hailey who is supposed to be Starr's best friend, is always making derisive comments about other races. But Starr is blinded by her friendship that she fails to see it, until Hailey bares her racist self completely by suggesting that Khalil deserved his death. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for Starr and following the advice of her mother, she cuts off their tie.
When literatures that address social issues remain relevant, then it sadly translates to a stagnant society.
THUG for example addresses two issues that still prevail in today's society: Racism and Police brutality.
A lot of black people get harassed, arrested and even killed for just being black. Just as the black community stood demanding justice for Khalil, we saw something similar in real life. The Black Lives Matter marches last year that followed George Floyd's death who was killed in an almost same manner — "I can't breathe". It is as though Angie in 2017 forsaw the future and chose to tell it, but at the same time, not really, since this is an infamous history of white on black unjust killings and George Floyd isn't the first to die in that manner.
This story tells us how our voice is important, especially in matters that concern the vulnerable. If Starr didn't speak up, the protest wouldn't have held. Although, I hate that it took her that long to speak out, but I understand her trauma.
Reading this story brought back all the memories of #EndSARS to me. The police, teargas, destruction and deaths. I was teary when she was out for protest. The system really doesn't want us calling them out. Since our voice is powerful, they'll try to shut us up. But do we stay down? Kenya says "No!".
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Miracle Ladidi Moses is a 500L undergraduate student of Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto. A lover of art, Miracle loves to read, travel and visit galleries. She looks forward to solving issues that concern the environment.
Instagram handle: _m.i.m.i.e_m
