The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

#ICYMI - The Hate U Give

Yesterday the Nubian Book Circle had a modest gathering of book club members and guests to discuss The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. We were excited to welcome a local high school student who offered an important perspective on this young adult novel. Our discussion was lively and included ways to make our voices heard, the representation of mothers and fathers in the book, and social justice issues facing youth and adults.

Our overall rating for the book was a 3.7, although some of us acknowledged that we were reading from an adult perspective rather than from the perspective of the target audience.

Our young adult guest, who rated the book a 4.3, said she would recommend the book to her peers. She also shared quotes from the book that really hit home for her:

-“God gave you a brain; you don't need theirs." -"Slang makes them cool; slang makes her hood.”

Other ratings for the book:

Phyllis: 2.5 - Hated the book but enjoyed discussion; Felt the quality of the writing was disappointing and that the book was too long; Also felt the book was full of poor decisions by youth and adults.

Gwen: 5 - Would recommend the book for adults and teens; Felt it was a relatable story (shooting and aftermath); would go see movie

Richelle: 3 - Would be good for youth to read but would want to discuss it with them; Storyline had some significant holes that weakened the book.

Our discussion also included the film version of the book that is in production. There was some skepticism about how good the movie would be partly due to the choice of cast members. I guess we’ll see when it comes out!

Overall we had a great time. We even discussed inviting youth to our meetings once a quarter and allowing them to select a book for us to read. This would be a great way to connect with the next generation and do some informal mentoring.

Our next book club meeting will be on December 9th. We will meet at Brio Tuscan Grille from 4-6 pm to discuss Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. Check out the event for more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/130812154286393/?ti=icl

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