It’s a stark reminder that, instead of seeking enemies at its international airports, America should open its eyes and look within if it’s really serious about keeping all its citizens safe. Now in its third consecutive week at number one on The New York Times bestseller list for young-adult novels, Thomas’s debut novel offers an incisive and engrossing perspective of the life of a black teenage girl as Starr’s two worlds converge over questions of police brutality, justice, and activism.

It doesn’t matter what I’m thinking about doing today though—my parents have their own plans for me. Somebody finally acknowledges the cloud hanging over the kitchen, which for some reason is like acknowledging me.The main events in ‘The Hate U Give’ are when Khalil gets shot by a police officer and Starr gets interviewed by the cops.

In the Christian Science Monitor, Katie Ward Beim-Esche wrote, "Believe the hype: The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas's extraordinary and fearless debut, really is that good. On Salon, Erin Keane wrote that the novel is "topical, urgent, necessary, and if that weren't enough, it's also a highly entertaining and engaging read. Grandma’s been gone ten years—long enough that Daddy doesn’t cry every day, but such a short while ago that if someone brings her up, it brings him down. The Hate U Give is an outstanding debut novel and says more about the contemporary black experience in America than any book I have read for years, whether fiction or non-fiction. She hides her involvement from her Williamson friends and her white boyfriend, Chris, before the truth comes bubbling up and Starr realizes which of her friends are worth keeping.Starr is analytical and sharp, but because she narrates events as she experiences them, her emotions are immediate and unfiltered. I've taught myself to speak with two different voices and only say certain things around certain people. Khalil's on one side of me, shoveling strawberry cake into his mouth, and Hailey's on my other side, grinning for the camera along with me. She wipes her eyes a few times, probably thinking about Khalil or how that could’ve been me lying in the street.