Printable Book Club Questions for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

We first meet Starr when she’s attending a party in her neighborhood. She doesn’t quite feel like she fits in as she attends school 45 minutes away. Let’s first talk about how Starr is split into two worlds.
Tupac said that Thug Life stood for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everyone.” Khalil says, “Meaning what society give us as youth, it bites them in the ass when we wild out.” Let’s talk about this line from Tupac, which is said throughout the novel. Why do you think it was important for the novel to be titled The Hate U Give?
Khalil is murdered by the police officer. And when Starr goes to check on him, the police officer points the same gun that killed Khalil right at her. What were you thinking as you read this scene?
This isn’t Starr’s first friend murdered. Her friend Natasha was killed in a drive-by shooting when they were children. That’s a ton of loss for someone, especially at a young age. Let’s discuss this.
While still grieving and numb, Starr still has to go back to school. But she decides not to tell her friends or boyfriend about what happened. Why do you think she felt this way and couldn’t initially talk to her boyfriend or friends about Khalil?
The police and media try to paint Khalil as a drug dealer/gangbanger, in other words, trying to find some kind of justification for his murder. But if there were cellphone footage of Khalil’s murder, they would see he was completely innocent and that the police officer murdered him. Let’s talk about how cellphone videos are helping to bring justice.
Starr’s boyfriend Chris is white and because of that it seems Starr doesn’t think they’ll have much of a future, especially since she’s worried her dad will be upset. But Chris continues to show up for her time and time again. Let’s talk about their relationship.
Starr grows quite a bit in this story and she learns to stand up for herself more. She finally admits that her friend Hailey is selfish and racist. So she finally cuts ties with her. Let’s discuss that development for Starr.
Starr testifies in the case but the jury finds the police officer innocent, which results in the anguish of the community. They take to the streets to protest and some riot. And Starr finally finds her voice. Let’s talk about this scene.
What did you think about the ending? What are some of the key takeaways from the story for you?
Have you watched the movie version yet?
Let’s talk about how this story is so relevant to this movement that’s happening right now in the U.S. What role can we all play in the fight for racial justice and equality?