Starr grew up in one world, goes to school in another. While at a party with her friends, Starr witnesses her best friend Khalil get murdered by a police officer. As a national headline, people say that Khalil is a drug dealer. A thug.

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Why this book?: I think y’all know why. It’s high time I read this book.

First things first: I’m not black. My opinion does not matter on this book, especially this book. But that doesn’t mean I can’t say that this is one powerful, raw, emotionally charged novel. 

When you read this book, you will cry. I guarantee it.

I recognized a lot of events in this book from real life. I recognized it so well, that I couldn’t place where I had seen something like this before, because I’d seen it so many times.

An unarmed black man was shot in my city, there were protests, there were court dates and nothing happened. The story from THUG and from my city were nearly exactly the same. And I bet more than a few people, me included, can recall something like this book happening near them.

That is disgusting.

There’s not much I can add to this discussion. It’s not my place.

The execution of the story was flawless, heartbreaking, and wrenching. I loved the writing, which was blunt and to-the-point, while still being full of emotion and intent. I loved the complexities of the characters, and Starr’s struggle with the combination of her school-life and home-life. I know it’s not the same as her’s, but I really related to how she hid the truest parts of herself from her school-life.

Final Rating: ★★★★★

Overall?

This book was painful. I read it for a school book club that I was invited to, and I can say that every one of us cried. I can’t say more about this book without sounding repetitive, but it’s intense. It’s powerful. It’s a must-read, and one that I’ll recommend until my dying days.

Would I Recommend?

Yes, without a doubt.

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Additional Information:

Published: February 28th, 2017

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Page Count: 444

Genre: Contemporary/YA

Synopsis: via Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.