Angie Thomas The Hate U Give

Learners have been studying the Number One New York Times Bestseller ‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas as part of their English,  Moral, Spiritual & Cultural learning classes. They have reviewed the book and have had a number of lessons based around Angie Thomas‘s life and reasons behind why she wrote the book. We also took all students to see the block buster released in October to see the film of the book.

About the Book

Sixteen year old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between the two is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping Young Adult novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.

About the Author

Angie Thomas is an exciting and powerful new voice in Young Adult fiction. She was born and raised, and still lives in Jackson, Mississippi. She studied creative writing at Belhaven University, where she was one of the only black students – a theme which she visits in The Hate U Give. A former teen rapper, she won the inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant awarded by the We Need Diverse Books campaign.

Further Study Work

Having explored the book and author in depth, learners and staff went to see the newly released film of the book. Learners were engaged throughout as the film gave them further insight into the content of the book and the struggles taking place in the modern world today. Several of the learners discussed how much they had enjoyed the experience during their last Individual Learner Progress meetings with Liverpool City Council.

See Angie Thomas tell the story behind the Hate U Give below: