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The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasRead about the other entries on the list.
challenged in 2017 for drug use, profanity, and language
Starr, a Black high school student sorting through the turmoil after witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of a police officer, is eventually drawn toward activism confronting institutionalized racism in the police department. Starr has a clearly drawn, complex inner life, and is surrounded by lived-in characters who balance out the viewpoints in the story, and show both the support and the challenges that Starr faces. Thomas manages to both write an entertaining, non-didactic book, and to illustrate how Starr’s story is both universal and specific.
--Marshal Zeringue