At some point in our book-embellished lives, we stumble upon a book that helps us see differently and open our eyes. This book has taught me two important things: Tupac is goooood, and that our voices are our biggest weapons.
"Sometimes you can do the right thing, and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right."
Words are like punches, and they cause bruises that last longer than physical punches. Words are carried with us in our heads, in our minds, in our hearts - especially if they are said to us by somebody we care about. And yet, they are always thrown carelessly around. Words cause bruises inside, that always take longer to heal than those outside. Words can hurt and destroy, but they can also heal and build, and help. Words are always, our biggest weapons, for good or for bad. The Hate U Give is about a girl – Starr – who watches her black friend get murdered by a white cop. I mean this type of news story is not uncommon, but in this book, we can see what it is for Starr to have experienced something like this and just how unfair the system actually is, how racist it is. We see how unfair people are to others only because of the color of their skin; we see how the people closest to us can surprise us – either for the better or for the worse; we see just how hard it is for minorities to get their promised rights; we see how messed up the professed equality is. The whole book deals with Starr dealing with her crappy crime-wrought neighborhood, her friends' murder; her providing her statement about what happened, and her statement being disregarded by the justice system. This book is a literal emotional rollercoaster. I found my eyes watering with tears at some points, and me trying to hold back laughter in others. If there is a book that I would recommend, that I would make anybody read, it would probably be this one. It shows the reality of both worlds, the rich and the poor, the white and the black. It is truly a thought-provoking book in the best sense – it makes you question things about your life and everything and everyone in it. This book is more than approved, absolutely recommended, and thrust upon all of you to READ & ENJOY. I LOVE YOU ALL. I LOVE YOU ALL. I LOVE YOU ALL.
P.S. Here is a college application essay (Blegh, I know) that's based on my reading of this novel, and how it impacted my worldview. Books like these, that leave you thinking about the reality that we live in, are ones that are infinitely worth reading.
Living in Paraguay, I am constantly exposed to the condemnation of non-conformity. Think of it as living in the suburbs, or being in a constant political negotiation; appearances are always taken into account, whether it’s your clothes, hair, body, skin color. Thankfully – considering the society I live in – I was born white, blonde, and heterosexual; or my life would have been a lot harder. Because of the family I was raised in and the country I was born in, I hadn’t even considered the racism factor of my family and country’s personality; making a joke about Asians or African Americans was about as normal as saying please and thank you. Until this book.
In Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, racism is as apparent as it is in Paraguay; the only difference is that the characters are painfully aware of it being racism and not just jokes. With this book I learned just how powerful words can be, whether they're to heal or hurt.
Starr, the main character, witnesses the shooting of his black friend by a white cop. In a world where violence and hate are rampant, these news stories of blatant racism aren’t unheard of; in fact, they’re becoming the ‘new normal’. But watching a story such as this and being there to witness it are two completely different things. Throughout the novel, Starr fights against institutional racism. She realizes how cruel people can be for nothing else than the crazy notion that the color of a person’s skin decides something about them other than the color of their skin.
With the police’s indifference towards African Americans’ plight and the murder of Starr’s friend, Starr discovers that her biggest weapon, is her voice. Starr realized that with her voice she could give people hope of a better future, one where the system is, at least, impartial to a person’s skin color when dealing with its citizens; that she could inspire people to move, to fight alongside with her.
With Starr, I realized the weight of people’s words. Words can heal, they can hurt, they can do whatever it is you want them to, so it’s important to use them wisely. Because if your words are used incorrectly or they’re used for bad, they stay in a person’s mind, and they fester; like salt to a wound, every time the person who heard them is reminded of them. But just like that, if they are used correctly and for good, they can stay in a person’s mind to give them comfort or strength when they need it.
With Thomas’s novel, not only did I learn to fully measure the value of my words, but I opened my eyes to the racism, classism, and any other ostracising that the people of my country – my social class in particular – are engaged in. With my words I try to make people realize that any kind of judgmental or critical comment is wrong, just as Angie Thomas did with me.
Comments