Katie L. Wilhelm
Sarah Sinclair
Short Story and Novel
2 April 2019
The Hate You Give
Angie Thomas's, The Hate You Give opens the eyes of small town me, who before reading this book felt well versed and educated, and I'd still say I was, but now I think about much more than I used to.
Before reading this book I was already very aware of police brutality and racism in our culture around the state of Wyoming, and a little less as we leave the states. I was aware that both points of views were frustrating and confusing to understand. We as citizens want to believe that the people in our police uniforms only cause harm when it is needed for safety and with reason. We want to believe that the people they injure and sometimes kill created a chaotic situation that lead to their harm. Unfortunately though that is not always the case and people, not just within black culture, but other races as well, find themselves losing loved ones over what from the outside looks like a racially aggressive situation.
Angie Thomas honorably talks about both cultures included within these confusing situations, being the armed officer and the young man who was shot. "What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?" (Thomas 252) That is the leading reason why I was able to read this book and feel as though what I was reading wasn't completely biased, but was just speaking out. Angie Thomas had a way of not pointing any fingers, just illuminating them, to make both sides stand out, and to help the reader realize what is going on during these times of struggle and hurt.
YOU ARE READING
Reader's Response - The Hate You Give
General FictionThe Hate You Give by Angie Thomas is not at all a writing of mine. It is a novel that I enjoyed reading very much. You are not reading the book here, just an opinionated essay. This is just something I had to write that I think some other people cou...
