The Hate U Give - If not now, when?

For those who have never read The Hate U Give, it's a 2017 novel by Angie Thomas about a black teenage girl, Starr Carter, who witnesses the death of her friend Khalil at the hands of the police. The central incident bears of course more than a passing resemblance to the real-life cases of Philando Castile, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, and many others. In the novel, Starr must deal with the aftermath of her friend's death while simultaneously navigating between her home community, the black working-class neighborhood of Garden Heights, and her predominantly white private school, located a thirty-minute drive away.

Most of my students agree that it's a good book, and a decent movie. All agree that it's one of the most memorable books we read in ninth grade English.

This will be my third year teaching The Hate U Give, and I think it's more important and timely now than ever before. The novel does what all fiction does best: it allows readers to see the world through the eyes of a character whose experience is different from their own. In doing so, it offers a new perspective, while (I hope) helping to foster empathy. For every student, Starr Carter's story will feel at least somewhat familiar. She attends a predominantly white private high school, and her pop culture frame of reference (Beyonce, LeBron James, Fresh Prince of Bel Air) is similar to that of our students. For many black students in particular , this novel is bound to strike close to the bone, especially in its depictions of the code-switching Starr needs to do in order to get by in both the affluent, mostly white world of her school and her all-black, working class neighborhood, Garden Heights. "This is exactly like my life," one of my ninth graders told me last year. At the risk of generalizing, the novel tends to broaden the perspective of my white students, while validating the experience of my black students.

Of course, tension between police and African-American communities lies at the center of the novel. Many of our students don't think much about political or social issues. To some, Black Lives Matter is only an abstract concept, if it's even on their minds at all. This novel gives the idea a human face. I know that since I've read it, I haven't been able to think about Black Lives Matter, or about any of the all-too-frequent police-related tragedies, without thinking of the Starr Carters of the world. 

To be sure, teaching this book has also presented its challenges. Although from my perspective the book does not vilify law enforcement at large - Starr's beloved Uncle Carlos is a policeman - some students have complained that it has an anti-police agenda. Two years ago, a student voiced that he thought it was propaganda. In discussions, I try to take a neutral tone when appropriate, a challenge in and of itself because I believe so strongly in Thomas's message, while pushing back against comments more insensitive or demeaning than political. I also attempt to stress that neither the author nor I are trying to "brainwash" anyone. Like any author, Thomas has an agenda, which readers are free to accept or disregard as they see fit. In teaching her book, my goal is not to indoctrinate, but to broaden my students' view of the world.

In the past, I have also presented - without comment - a conservative takedown of the novel, which appeared in the New York Post. For the record, I think it's total bullshit but I try not to tip my hand, instead allowing students to react to for themselves. It's fun to read their righteously indignant responses: they're allowed to say everything I wish I could.

At the same time, it's important not to attack students who question or challenge some part of this book's message. A couple years ago, a conflict arose in my class when a student rightly took exception to being called a racist by one of his peers after he asked an innocent question that had been misinterpreted. (The three of us talked about the incident outside of class, and it ended up a good teachable moment.) 

It's always risky to expose students to such sensitive subject matter. There might be hurt feelings, and tense moments in the classroom. To me, it’s all worth it. In the current climate, it’s more important than ever to examine our attitudes, which sometimes means reading texts that make us uncomfortable.