Disclaimer: This post contains some spoilers.

Taken from here

This week I've finished an amazing book titled The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. The story was about Starr Carter, a sixteen year-old Afro girl who witnessed the dead of Khalil, her bestfriend. Khalil was shot by a cop who claimed to feel threatened by his movement when the cops stopped his car and checked on him, as well as Starr, who was with him that night. 

Starr who attended 'white' school had always covered up her living in 'black' neighborhood, afraid if her friends would see her 'ghetto' life. That was why she did not tell any of her bestfriends in school about Khalil's dead, not even Chris - her white boyfriend. She became more sensitive as Hailey, her friend at school, threw a racist stuff on her. She was cranky but still got no courage to tell what really happened that night. Until Ms. Ofrah came and encouraged her to speak. 



This book was great. Since I follow 'Now This Is News' instagram, I sort of understand about how racism in US has caused an assumptions leading to the death of innocent lives. Young Afros were killed just because they seemed to be threatening, even though they got no weapon and no evil intention at all. The cops rationalised the killing on the assumption that they were thugs or drug dealers. They forget that they were just the unarmed kids. They forget that they might have family, friend, life, and dreams. To me, this book bolds that message.

Besides racism things, there are a lot of moral values from this book. It encourages those who are oppressed to stay brave and do the right thing because even the bravest man would feel scared, but he overcomes it. I love the Carters because they are always have each other's back, that is how a family should be. The parents were great, they give their kids better shelter and education even when it requires much more hard work for them. That everyone deserves a second chance and they better not mess it up. That mom would be a mom, even when she chooses the tough way or her kids hate her. And to those teenagers, when your friend is being an asshole, you should think about it and reconsider if she is worth to be kept or not. 

PS. It reminds me of a maid once worked in my parents' house. She and her husband were only graduated from elementary school, but she works real hard to make sure that her kids will get a better and higher education. I remember how she cries to me after get off on her oldest who told her he did not want to go to school and want to work instead. She told her kid that she did not need any money from him and she could still support him. I also remembers when she was mad at her second son who was with a bunch of kids using drugs. She really struggles to make her kids grow better when she lives in a poor neighborhood. I wish those kids would eventually understand her.