“That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”
I was thinking a long time what shall I say about this book. It was brilliant obviously, but this read raises such important questions and problems. We have to and need to talk about this but I also feel like walking on the thin ice here...
People say feminism and racism are not happening anymore. That it is in the past and I always say that we came a long way and learned a lot from our history. But I don't think we are in the finish just yet. I am the lucky one, I was born in Europe where I had the right to education and based on my lifestyle you can say I was and I am equal. I am white so I never experienced racism while growing up however it changed when I left my home and moved to England. So to everyone who tells me that we are equal, I say: "It is true I am at the better position that girls in India or Zimbabwe or Namibia but am I really equal?" What I have experienced is nothing in comparison with stories you can find if you look for them. Yes, you have to look for them because no one will put them on the news, in the papers or on display.
The face of discrimination (of any kind) has changed. It is not glorified as slavery once was, no, it is happening in the shadows, hidden and subtle. Sometimes so subtle it takes you few minutes to realise you have been discriminated. My brain usually just stops and I blink with an empty look on my face and I think, did this really happen or is it just my imagination? I can't believe it and usually, the moment for the response or any kind of protective verbal reaction is gone and it is too late for me to point it out. In the case when I do point it out, I am told that I am overreacting, that it was a joke or I misunderstood what was said. But let's be honest here if you said something that made me think if it was racist or not, it probably was racist.
People do not realise what they are saying, sometimes they do not believe themselves that they said racist or sexist. They just do not see it... they are good people. And that is exactly why we need more books like Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race and The Hate U Give.
I think that The Hate U Give has a great plot to teach you the problematics of the current racism and sexism. Angie Thomas wrote a great book, the story didn't have any slow or boring sections. The plot was gradually getting tenser with every chapter. The characters developed and changed. I really disliked Kenya at the beginning but as the book progresses I changed my mind. Starr was, of course, the main character and I admire this girl so much. She was strong and brave but she also had a lot of flaws which made her real. She struggled with life and she was unsure of decisions, she overthought and doubted her decisions and I love that about her.
Angie Thomas is now one of my top writers and I can't wait to read everything she will write in the future. Her writing style was easy to read even with slang and expressions. It felt like she wrote the book in one afternoon it was perfectly smooth and continuous. One of the best books I read this year.
THUG is obviously a Young Adult book, but it has a strong message inside so I would recommend this book to everyone. I would go as far as recommending this book on the schools' list for mandatory reads.
THUG is obviously a Young Adult book, but it has a strong message inside so I would recommend this book to everyone. I would go as far as recommending this book on the schools' list for mandatory reads.
Goodreads synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.
"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"
