Welcome to the monthly children’s book review feature with a focus
on diverse books here at Bird Meets Worm! My team of reviewers—Cara Chow, Denise Holmes, Joan Charles, Sharon Calle—and I are so excited to be championing books celebrating everything from gender diversity, people of color, the
LGBTQ community to ethnic, cultural and religious minorities, people with disabilities
and developmental challenges to controversial topics, unique family situations
and anything and everything I did not include. It is to say we take a rightfully
board view of diversity! We aim to shine a light on books that bring both
familiar experiences to those who do not often see themselves represented in
books and new experiences to those looking to expand their worldview. Here at Bird Meets Worm we believe in the
power of story to build empathy and thus a better world for you and me and everyone.
Look for a new review on the second
Wednesday of every month.
The HATE U GIVE
By Angie Thomas
YA fiction (ages
14-17) • 444 pages
Published by HarperCollins/Balzer
+ Bray • 2017
ISBN 978-0-06-249853-3
Angie Thomas awakens her audience to see thru the eyes and
feel thru the heart of 16-year old Starr Carter as she witnesses the murder of
her friend, Kahlil, an unarmed, African American teenage, at the hands of a
white police officer.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Starr struggles to make
sense of the disparities in her own identity both as a citizen of a poor, crime-riddled,
African American neighborhood and as a student of a wealthy, predominately
white, private school. Starr’s journey from sadness to anger and fear to
bravery is anything, but black and white. Her story serves as a powerful
touchstone for cultivating compassion and sparking conversations about racism,
the militarization of the police and the lingering effects of slavery in
America today. Just as Starr is a light in the darkness for her family, friends
and community, so can she be for the audience as well. Her story makes a
powerful argument in favor of questioning the status quo and using one’s voice
to create positive change.
In the tradition of The
Outsiders and The Catcher in the Rye,
The Hate U Give is, without a doubt,
destined to become a modern classic. It is so timely, so of the moment, that it
is a must read now and for generations to come.
Buy this book:
Reviewed by: Jane Smith