The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (audiobook)

genre: young adult fiction

Starr Carter's life is complicated - switching between her rough neighborhood and the suburban private school where she is one of only a few minorities, she knows that people who look like her just have a harder time of it.  She KNOWS this, but nothing makes this as traumatically and horrifically clear as what she sees on the horrible night when she witnesses the brutal police murder of her friend Khalil.  That moment, that experience, is going to change Starr's entire life and force her to decide how to use the powerful voice she was given.

I haven't yet read a book about the modern African American experience that moved me the way this one day.  It hurt me.  It made me uncomfortable.  It made me pissed.  Starr is tough and capable but also tender and anxious - she's a really complex character who is very emotionally invested in her family.  I really appreciated all the nuance here - there are people of both races who are empathetic and compassionate and people who are all kinds of dirty.   I loved Starr's parents, their complicated relationship and that even in a neighborhood with a lot of crime and gang activity, there are still so many people who are just trying to live their lives and take care of their neighbors, people who deserve safety and compassion.  More than anything, though, I finished this book feeling a tiny bit more understanding of the depths of pain that institutionalized racism has caused in this country. It makes me want to do better.  I feel like despite the language (and yes, there is a LOT if you are sensitive to that) this is a book that teens (especially white teenagers) need to read to help them understand the complexity of African American life and to help them be more aware of the kind of violence, racism and brutality that their non-white friends can be subject to.