The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give is a drama featuring, The Hunger Games, Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, who I know from the TV shows, Lincoln Heights and Seven Seconds, Insecure’s Issa Rae and rapper, Common. When Starr Carter, played by Amandla, witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer, she must make the decision of staying quite or standing up for what’s right.

I thought that the plot was very relevant and heartbreaking. The character development was strong and the script was well written and honest. They talked about gang mentality, snitching and how to break the cycle of negativity in one’s community. I also liked the touches on the issues of code switching, which is very real for people of color. Code switching is how one must act differently in front of their community vs outside of their community and how that affects a person’s ability to be their true self in either setting.

There was great acting across the board but I really connected with Amandla’s character. I thought that she did a wonderful job bringing this person to life. The only issue I had was that I thought that Russell Hornsby, who played Maverick 'Mav' Carter, Starr’s father, was typecast. I’ve seen this character from him before, multiple times. It would have been nice to see something else from him, but I thought that he still did well in the role.

Overall, this one is heavy and hard to watch at times, but is one that I think young adults up to adults should see, especially in the current climate.