Excerpt: These 11 Angie Thomas quotes from The Hate U Give are incredibly relevant and simply must be read as we continue to fight for racial equality.
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Introduction: Too Real
The Hate U Give is a fictional work, but feels all too real in the most heart-breaking of ways. The story follows sixteen-year-old Starr Carter as she witnesses, mourns, rages, and retaliates over the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.
I finished reading The Hate U Give on January 23, 2019. Since then, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old African-American man, was fatally shot while jogging. Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman was fatally shot several times in her own home after Louisville police officers knocked down the apartment door serving a no-knock search warrant for drug suspicions. And on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who was arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill, died after white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on the street.
What’s more, is that The Hate U Give was published February 28, 2017—long before any of the above happened.
This should not be our reality. This story should end when the covers of the book are closed. But, it doesn’t. It continues to carry on throughout the world every day. Reading this book gave me a deeper understanding of what it’s like for black people in America, and I recommend you read it in full for that reason, too. Below you’ll find 11 quotes from The Hate You Give that’ll at least get you started.
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The List: 11 Must Read Angie Thomas Quotes from The Hate U Give
“Goodbyes hurt the most when the other person’s already gone.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug. He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I’ll remember how he died. Fairy tale? No. But I’m not giving up on a better ending. It would be easy to quit if it was just about me, Khalil, that night, and that cop. It’s about way more than that though. It’s about Seven. Sekani. Kenya. DeVante. It’s also about Oscar. Aiyana. Trayvon. Rekia. Michael. Eric. Tamir. John. Ezell. Sandra. Freddie. Alton. Philando. It’s even about that little boy in 1955 who nobody recognized at first—Emmett. The messed up part? There are so many more.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“‘That’s why people are speaking out, huh? Because it won’t change if we don’t say something.’ ‘Exactly. We can’t be silent.’ ‘So I can’t be silent.’ Daddy stills. He looks at me. I see the fight in his eyes. I matter more to him than a movement. I’m his baby, and I’ll always be his baby, and if being silent means I’m safe, he’s all for it. This is bigger than me and Khalil though. This is about Us, with a capital U; everybody who looks like us, feels like us, and is experiencing this pain with us despite not knowing me or Khalil. My silence isn’t helping Us. Daddy fixes his gaze on the road again. He nods. ‘Yeah. Can’t be silent.’”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“I’ve seen it happen over and over again: a black person gets killed just for being black, and all hell breaks loose. I’ve Tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there. I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down. Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“I can’t change where I come from or what I’ve been through, so why should I be ashamed of what makes me, me?”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“You can destroy wood and brick, but you can’t destroy a movement.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“To every kid in Georgetown and in all “the Gardens” of the world: your voices matter, your dreams matter, your lives matter. Be roses that grow in the concrete.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
“I think it’ll change one day. How? I don’t know. When? I definitely don’t know. Why? Because there will always be someone ready to fight. Maybe it’s my turn. People realizing and shouting and marching and demanding. They’re not forgetting. I think that’s the most important part.”
Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
Picture Quotes from The Hate U Give To Share:
If this list of Angie Thomas quotes from The Hate U Give resonated with you, consider reading her book in full. It comes highly recommended:
Book Overview: Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
…Ready To (Finally) Put An End To The Self-Improvement Yo-Yo-Ing?
Our NEW Guide will teach you how to integrate self-improvement tasks into your life—for life—without requiring NAVY Seal level self-discipline or grit. Download now and get INSTANT access to:
- 30 Powerful, One Page Meditations
- 30 Pace Conscious Challenges
- 30 Original, Downloadable Illustrations
…Build habits that stick or your money back.
Written by Matt Hogan
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