Significance of Title:
“The Hate U Give” is a condensed acronym inspired by the infamous “THUG LIFE” tattoo displayed across American actor and rapper Tupac Shakur’s abdominal area. “THUG LIFE” is an acronym for “The Hate U Give Little Infants F**k’s Everybody”. This acronym is symbolic of the struggles that black people in America face. It is explained in the novel as what society feeds us as youth, it bites us in the ass when we wild out.
Summary:
The Hate U Give begins with Starr Carter, the 16 year-old protagonist, attending a Spring Break party with her friend Kenya. The party is in Garden Heights, the impoverished neighbourhood where Starr and her family live. At the party, Starr finds herself catching up with her childhood best friend Khalil, when a a gang dispute leads to a gunfight. Starr and Khalil leave the scene in his car, and are pulled over by a police officer due to a broken taillight. The officer asks Khalil to step out of the car and pats him down. As Khalil opens his car door to ask Starr if she’s okay, the officer opens fire, and Starr watches her friend die.
The confusion and fear Starr experiences when grieving Khalil's death makes her initially unwilling to identify herself as the sole witness of the night’s events. As time passes, she
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The criminal justice system often prevents African-Americans from obtaining justice which is depicted in The Hate U Give when the officer who killed Khalil is not indicted. Starr and Maverick are focused on bringing justice not only for Khalil but also for African-Americans who are facing similar situations as Khalil. The activist group that Starr joins through the help of April Ofrah is called Just Us for Justice because it fights against police maltreatment on the basis of race. At the end of the novel, Starr realizes that although injustice will continue, she must never stop her fight against