First Impressions Are Everything: My thoughts on The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Five Chapters in)

I usually do not believe the hype of most new books but I did on this one. The Hate U Give is definitely not what I thought it would be. I expected it to be a safe, gentle book dealing with police brutality and the realities of African American life in a major city. I did not expect the first five chapters to be as raw and earth shifting as they were.
In this book we are introduced to Starr, a young African American teen living a typical American life in a bad neighborhood. Her parents have done all they can to protect her from the realities of the neighborhood that they live in. This includes sending her to a predominantly white private school that's almost an hour away from her home. Starr is not as sheltered as some may think; she has seen several things that no kid should. Things that would change most of us for the rest of our lives. Starr’s life shifts again when she goes to a party with her half sister and on the way home is witness to a police involved shooting. I am expecting this book to be a bit of a raw if not rude awakening for many that read it. Especially in the times that we live in. Just in 2017, 712 people have died at the hands of police. According to the Washington Post (link below) mental illness played a role in 1 in 5 of these deaths.
The Hate U Give presents us with a very important dilemma: Do POC (people of color) really have different experiences in America? Or is this all just hype? And when do we are a society say enough is enough; and will we be willing to put ourselves on the line to make sure real equality happens? Can some in our society ever truly acknowledge that race is a bigger issue then what we ever imagined it to be?
As a Person of color I definitely believe that Angie Thomas is tackling a subject that will make many uncomfortable but it a story that needs to be told nonetheless. I am looking forward to finishing this book.

For info on what inspired The Hate U Give Check out this video of Angie Thomas discussing the book:

Deadly Force Information:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/number-of-fatal-shootings-by-police-is-nearly-identical-to-last-year/2017/07/01/98726cc6-5b5f-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html?utm_term=.1fa82493b089