Summer has been gloriously filled with slower mornings and lots of reading. Although I am savoring it as best as possible, I can feel myself starting to itch for a more consistent routine. I've been working part time at the most fun clinic but working two days a week is definitely not real life. It's a blast but I definitely do better with a more consistent schedule. I have gotten more plugged into the Bookstagram community which is the most fun and have gotten some really amazing book recs from it. One of which is the incredible debut by Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give.
From Goodreads: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: whatreally went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: It is truly SUCH a valuable time to have diverse books that challenge us to re-examine the lens we view our lives through. It is so easy for me to ignore the news and stay in my own little bubble. It's so easy to pass off problems if they don't affect me directly. It's easy for me to refuse to use my voice since I don't know enough about the given topic to contribute. I've been there and I can't stay there. I don't think any of us can afford to stay there.
“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?” - The Hate U Give
This book was heartbreaking and incredibly real. It was raw and tough to read at times but so very necessary. It taught me to delve a little deeper into empathy and understanding. I truly loved this book and cannot urge you to read it enough. Also read the acknowledgements because HELLO TEARS. Have you read this? Let's chat.