Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Book talk

    

    The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas, is a special kind of fiction; perhaps ‘topical fiction’ would fit or, even better, ‘urgent fiction.’ The urgency of the social issues it deals with make it a critical tool for experiencing and understanding a perspective we might not otherwise appreciate or inhabit. Thomas does it with an inspired voice, ingenious balance, and constant compassion; raising an inflammatory event within a devolving racial environment from a chronicle of violence to a window into human complexity. The complexities she portrays is what makes her novel so authentic and heart-rending.

     It is the story of an imperfect, but loved young black man killed by a policeman; as witnessed by, endured by, and told by his childhood friend. It is a story of shattered families, gang allegiances, brutal revenges, daily violence, parental frailties, harsh language, inter-racial tension, burdens of profiling, entrapment of poverty, and a legacy of prejudice … but equally of family love, mending allegiances, personal redemptions, parental strengths, loving language, inter-racial respect, opportunities of trust, power of perseverance, and a legacy of community.

     Although you would think it is a novel that contrasts black and white, what it did for me was reveal the shared humaneness we all possess and to consider that we are all painted in shades of gray.

     That the author portrays violence as a tragedy for all involved, that placing a blame slowly cedes to individuals confronting their own biases and embracing healing new directions is what will move this novel from topical to enduring.

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