The Hate U Give Short Summary

By author Angie Thomas, “The Hate You Give” is a young adult fiction novel that addresses racism and police brutality with unrelenting honesty.

An Overview of the Book

16-year-old Carter is a black girl who has been inspired to activism by the death of her friend who was wrongly executed by an officer of the law. She attends mostly white boarding school even though her family is low income.

One night on the weekend, the police shut down a party she was attending. She gets a ride from Khalil. They are pulled over by a white officer and the events leading to Khalil being shot thrice as Starr watched. The murder makes news quickly, and the media spin the story to paint Khalil as a drug dealer who provoked the officer. The people investigating keep Starr as a secret witness. Starr is forced to hide the incident from her friends and boyfriend in school. She struggles to keep up with life.

Starr becomes interviewed about the events after being advised by Carlos, her uncle, who is a detective. Carlos raised Starr as his daughter after her father Maverick was sent to jail.

Maverick gets his release, and he quits the gang after he took the blame for the crime he did not commit, to protect King, the leader. Maverick purchases a store that Starr and her stepbrother work in.

The jury fails to reach a guilty verdict for the officer who killed Khalil and the neighborhood has a series of peaceful protests. Starr steps up to become a public figure in addressing the case of brutality. She soon joins the protests controlled by police officers with riot gear. In school, she is met by some racist remarks that question the persona she had developed in school.

Starr is joined in a riot by her boyfriend Chris, Seven, and a King Lord’s member to defend the store against King. Devante was helped to get out of Kings Lords by being sheltered by Carlos through Maverick. The neighborhood stands up against King in courage to reject his dominance. Devante testifies in court against King and helps get him a long sentence.

Starr vows to keep the memory of Khalil alive by always standing up against racial injustice. Out of the tragedy she had experienced, and by help from her friends, she can turn the memory into good.