The Hate U Give

I am going to take Angie Thomas's words "Find your activism and don't let anyone tell you what that should look like", and say that this blog post is me doing a little activism: please read this book.

  Reading often allows us to enter someone else's experiences. In this case, it allowed me to enter Starr's experiences with racist police brutality. Despite it being a horrifying experience I believe more people should be aware of it. I also agree with Angie Thomas when she said that people tend to focus exclusively on the negative aspects of poverty stricken societies. One of the reasons that make me say that The Hate U Give is quite well written is that I think it succeeds in depicting both sides of such societies: the beautiful and the ugly. The peaceful evening at home that you spend with your family watching TV, contrasting with the shootings that you can hear on your street.
  This book was yet another opportunity to practise being empathetic, and to join in prayer so that we can all grow into a more mature, respectful, and understanding society. Please read this book, and meditate a few minutes after you finish reading it.