The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas)

This book came out at the end of last month, and was given very high reviews by John Green, so I was pretty excited to read it, and even more excited when I found the last copy at the bookstore and didn't have to wait for it.

The Hate U Give is narrated by a teenage girl named Starr Carter. Starr is black, and she struggles with balancing her life at her ritzy suburban private school and in her low income neighborhood. She feels she can't really be her full self in either setting, but the balance is maintained.

One night, Starr is at a party with her childhood neighbor and friend, who may or may not be involved in gang activity. They hear gunshots at the party and instantly decide to leave to avoid getting hurt. They are then pulled over and her friend is killed by a police officer on the side of the highway. He was unarmed.

This book is absolutely brilliant. It was a complete eye opener for me and I would recommend it highly to anybody looking for something that will change the game.