Chapter 1&2 Reading Journal
I read Chapters 1&2 of the Hate U Give over the weekend.
In Chapter 1, we meet the main character Starr Carter who is attending a party with her
best friend Kenya. Kenya and Starr share a half-brother, Seven. Starr goes to a majoritywhite school, while she lives in Garden Heights whose residents are mostly poor and
black. At the party, some teen girls greet Kenya and Starr, but Starr hardly remembers
any of them. Kenya was extremely grouchy towards one girl named Denasia who
accused Kneya of flirting with a boy called DeVante. Starr meets Khalil who is her
childhood friend. Just then, gunshots are heard. Khalil and Starr run to the car and
escape. In the car, Starr confronts Khalil about his business with drugs, but Khalil tells
her to mind her own business. Just ten, police sirens are heard.
In Chapter 2, Starr gets flashbacks of her parents telling her how to act around the police.
The police’s badge number runs one-fifteen. One-fifteen demands them to get out of
the car, and Khalil continues to complain. One-fifteen tells them not to move while he
heads back to the car. However, Khalil moves to check on Starr, and one-fifteen brutally
shoots him.
I am quite shocked about the content of this book since it touches on a lot of sensitive
topics. The book shows black people’s lives from a first-perspective view and really
allows readers to get a grip on these minority people’s lives. I find Starr’s background
very interesting as she feels inadequate in Garden Heights because she goes to a school
with white people in it. This contrast draws my attention because it is so dramatic, and
this way, the author draws a distinct line between the two different skin colors. In
Chapter 2, the inciting event in the book happens. We can see that One-fifteen’s actions
are completely unnecessary and inhumane, which highlights the inequality black people
face. It is also quite ironic how Starr views the police. Usually, the police are a symbol
of justice and safety; while in Starr’s perspective, she was taught how to act properly
in front of police in her childhood, and the police are more like devils than guardians.