The Hate U Give

There are times you know a book is important and perfect for the audience for which it's intended. You know that book strikes the exact right tone at the right tone. All those things can be true - and you still might not like the book in the end.

The Hate U Give had so much hype. It's a book about the shooting of an unarmed black teen, told from the perspective of the friend who witnessed it. I heard about it long before it was a movie and was told it was a book I "had" to read. No question I would check it out as soon as I saw it on the library shelf. 

I somehow missed that the book was YA. That doesn't mean it's not good, but it usually means it's a voice to which I can't exactly relate. The narrator is 16-year old Starr and I have no reason to believe the voice doesn't exactly capture the right tone. Again, I realize I wasn't the right audience, but the voice felt oversimplistic and it made it hard for me to get into the story. Overall, I can see why people loved this book, why they think it's a must read and why it strikes such an important tone at this point in history. But, for me, it felt simple and predictable.