In The hate U give we follow a 16-year-old, Starr. She lives in a poor black neighborhood, but attends a rich white school. One night, her best friend Khalil is shot dead by a police officer. The cop thought Khalil was a drug dealer. But Starr knows Khalil was innocent and unarmed. The neighborhood supports the cop. They assume Khalil was a criminal because he was black. Starr knows the truth, but does she dare say what really happened? It will put her in a difficult position. She wants to belong to her classmates from school. And at the same time with her friends from her neighborhood. But these are different cultures with different norms, values, rules and ideas about the police. What should she do?
The Hate U Give is a powerful Young Adult book about current themes such as the Black Lives Matter movement, prejudice, racism and identity.