THE HATE U GIVE Book Club Questions and Reading Guide
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas has been on the New York Times bestseller list since it came out. It’s no surprise that teens and adults alike are drawn to this book: Thomas creates realistic characters dealing with realistic issues, even when those issues are uncomfortable. This is a great book to use in the classroom to get reluctant readers engaged in discussion, or a great book to suggest to your book club because everyone has an opinion. Read on for our suggestions for The Hate U Give book club questions and a reading guide for book club or class discussions.
The Hate U Give Summary
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. (From the publisher.)
The Hate U Give Book Club Questions
- In the first chapter, Khalil and Starr listen to Tupac in the car. Khalil explains what Tupac said “Thug Life” meant. Discuss what this acronym means and how it shows up throughout the book. How else does the author use hip-hop as a motif?
- Throughout the book, Starr talks about how she’s different “versions” of herself. She’s one person in Garden Heights and a different person at her school, Williamson Prep. This is often called “code-switching” when a person feels they must speak and act different in one social situation than in another. Do you think Starr switches successfully between the two places? What other characters do you see code switching? Are there any instances when someone doesn’t switch and makes things socially awkward? Is this something you can relate to?
- Starr’s family situation is somewhat complicated. She lives with her parents. She has two brothers, one older who shares the same father, one younger who has the same mother and father. Her brother’s sister is in her life, along with a detective uncle who doesn’t live in Garden Heights. How does Starr define family? Compare this to how you define family in your own life.
The Hate U Give Reading Guide
Below are some texts of different genres that can be paired with teaching or discussing The Hate U Give.
- Key & Peele video on code-switching
- The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur
- Dinosaurs in the Hood by Danez Smith
- White People: I Don’t Want You To Understand Me Better, I Want You To Understand Yourselves by Ijeoma Oluo
- Bresha Meadows Thought You’d Understand by Melissa Jeltsen
- Books to read after The Hate U Give