Friday, January 18, 2019

The Hate U Give Reading Update

So Maria from A Night's Dream of Books and I read the first 7 chapters of "The Hate U Give" last week and I have to say, so far so good.  It definitely has my attention and I can see this being a fairly quick read if I wasn't pacing myself.  Right now, it's pretty much my Sunday book and will be for the next few weeks. 

So Maria sent me a few questions for discussion which is the same format we used for out "Dread Nation" buddy read.  So check out the questions and my answers below and make sure you pop over to her blog when you're finished!

If you haven't read this, this will probably contain some spoilers so don't feel obligated to read on :)


1.) First of all, I’ve noticed that you’ve abbreviated the title of this novel to “THUG”. Do you think the author gave her novel the title, "The Hate U Give", intentionally, because it can be abbreviated this way? 

So I'm pretty sure I've read something along the way which indicated that the author was definitely acting intentionally with the name. I'll have to admit, it took me a while to catch on with this one but after starting it, I would have thought  it intentional anyway.  Mainly because she mentions Tupac's song "Thug Life" in the first few chapters so I think that might have influenced her.  

2.) I like the way Angie Thomas set the mood from the very beginning. There were some details that gave me a sense of foreboding. What about you? Did you get that sense, too, that something REALLY bad was going to happen? If so, what details gave you that feeling?

Yes, I just knew something was going to happen after the direction the party was heading.  And because her friend at the party wanted to start some trouble with another girl, and really wanted Starr to help her, I sort of initially assumed that was going to blow up in their face.  Also, when Starr and Khalil were in the car and the police pulled them over, Starr was so nervous and had so many "things to do" running through her head I just knew it would end badly.  

3.) Were you surprised that Starr was not immediately interrogated by the police regarding the shooting? Why or why not? 

Yes I am am in "real life" I don't know that it would play out this way.  I am glad that Starr had a family that stood up for her and was watching out for her so she had some time she obviously needed.  Also, I think with social media being so quick to pick up on things that happen now, it's not real feasible to allow things time like it might have been in the past.  Things need to be done quickly for fear of tainted interviews and evidence and situations spiraling out of control.

4.) How did you feel about the contrasts between Starr’s home world – Garden Heights – and Williamson, the prep school she attends? I thought it was ironic that Starr’s classmates argue about such things as how to properly eat Pop Tarts, while Starr and her family have to worry about such things as knowing how to talk to cops if you get stopped on the road. 

I think Thomas did a good job at contrasting two different worlds.  However, were the book on a different subject matter and we readers encountered teens arguing over how to eat Pop Tarts, we'd just be commenting on how stupid they act and be making some silly comments like "typical teens."  However in this context, it does just go to show how different people are and how people have different issues in their lives and bigger things to worry about.

So there you have it, make sure to check back next Friday to see how we're progressing.  Thanks for stopping by!

23 comments:

  1. oh this is an awesome way to review books! I cannot believe I still haven't read Dread Nation which was my most anticipated of 2018! I agree with all your answers! Boy this book unidid me! Loved it so much!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes you need to hop on Dread Nation. So have you seen the movie for THUG yet?

      Delete
  2. I think I'd have a hard time reading this so slowly, since it sounds so well paced. I'm probably the last person in the world to read it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes it is hard but I have so many books going right now that it's not been too hard to do.

      Delete
  3. This is one of those books I will probably never read. I usually grab anything that stands out or is controversial, but with so much badness going around, I don't need it in my books.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have such a good point. Man, the world sucks right now.

      Delete
  4. GREAT answers, Barb!! :) :)

    I do think that Angie Thomas picked the title of this book intentionally. And yes, it's because of the Tupac song. I think she also intended to be ironic with the abbreviation, as Khalil is stereotyped from the get-go.

    Thomas is a skillful writer, so those details at the party did convey a sense of foreboding. And the fact that Khalil started playing that Tupac song, "Thug Life" in the car, was another sign that yes, things were going to end badly.

    I was definitely surprised that Starr wasn't interrogated right away. Later, as Uncle Carlos came into the picture, I came to the conclusion that maybe he was a sort of buffer between Starr and the police. Like maybe he asked his supervisor to give Starr some time. Thomas doesn't mention this, but it's a possibility.

    I, too, think that the Pop Tarts "discussion" was kinda silly. It seems that Thomas really wanted to make sure her readers got the message that these prep school students are privileged, and therefore, insulated from what's REALLY going on in "the real world".

    I can see why this book has gotten all the kudos it's gotten! It's a riveting read, and deals with an important issue that's very relevant at the moment.

    Looking forward to next week's post! HUGS TO YOU AND THE PUPS, AND "WOOF, WOOF" TO THEM!!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes and I have some questions about the police involvement coming up for you this week. The pups say WOOF WOOF.

      Delete
  5. Not my type of read but glad you are enjoying it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed this book very much and am looking forward to her new one. I had no idea about the THUG thing lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think the whole Tupac thing is what first caught my attention with the book. I want to get her new one from my library when it comes out.

      Delete
  7. I didn't read your post because I just got this to read. I want to get to it before the movie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you enjoy it. The movie came out today to rent so I'm gonna have to hold my husband off on watching it for a while.

      Delete
  8. I checked out this book yesterday and finished it within a couple hours. It's such a great book. I cried a lot.

    Not sure if you have quite gotten to that part yet, but the idea of Pac's song comes up quite a few times, and what his tattoo T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E means. The title is thus from the song, and it's meaning, definitely intentional.

    Great questions!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it and I just read the part last night where her and her father are having an in depth conversation about it in the car.

      Delete
    2. Oh good!! This book is simply powerful and I am so glad others are still reading and discovering it as well. It is now one of my auto-recs when someone asks me if I know of a good book they can read.

      Delete
  9. I finally found my copy of THUG, so I'm officially joining in and reading along with you. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up in time for this week's post, because this is such a great way to start discussion and break down your thoughts on the book.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Do you think you'll be watching the film version of this story after you finish reading it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure I will. In fact, hoping I can convince my husband not to watch it BEFORE I finish!

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. Yay! I've not really heard any bad things about it.

      Delete