Learning Resources Division: Freshman Book Series (Common Read): 2019-2020: The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give

The Freshman book selected for the Class of 2023 is THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas.

Summary

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.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

** From Barnes and Noble

Themes

The book looks at the following themes:

Code-Switching, Dueling Identities, and Double-Consciousness
Identity and Blackness
Black Lives Matter
Racism and Police Brutality
Family, Community, Belonging, and Loyalty
The Power of Language
Hip Hop and Black Culture
Poverty and Crime Cycle
Injustice and Social Action

Author Information

Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed.

She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, The Hate U Give, is a #1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Fox 2000, starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman, Jr. Her second novel, On the Come Up, is on sale now.

From AngieThomas.com

Read-Alikes

If you enjoyed The Hate U Give you might enjoy these books as well:

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives One teenager in a skirt. One teenager with a lighter. One moment that changes both of their lives forever. If it weren’t for the 57 bus, Sasha and Richard never would have met. Both were high school students from Oakland, California, one of the most diverse cities in the country, but they inhabited different worlds. Sasha, a white teen, lived in the middle-class foothills and attended a small private school. Richard, a black teen, lived in the crime-plagued flatlands and attended a large public one. Each day, their paths overlapped for a mere eight minutes. But one afternoon on the bus ride home from school, a single reckless act left Sasha severely burned, and Richard charged with two hate crimes and facing life imprisonment. The case garnered international attention, thrusting both teenagers into the spotlight.
All American Boys A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature. In this New York Times bestselling novel, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension. A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement? There were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this four-starred reviewed tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken directly from today’s headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.
Amina's Voice A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family’s vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this “compassionate, timely novel” (Booklist, starred review) from the award-winning author of It’s Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns. Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she’s in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the “cool” girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more “American.” Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized. Amina’s Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani-American and highlights the many ways in which one girl’s voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
Black Girl Magic: A Poem Black Girl, they say you ain't 'posed to be here Much of what twenty-first century culture tells black girls is not pretty: Don't wear this; don't smile at that. Don't have an opinion; don't dream big. And most of all, don't love yourself. In response to such destructive ideas, internationally recognized poet Mahogany Browne challenges the conditioning of society by crafting an anthem of strength and magic undeniable in its bloom for all beautiful Black girls. She has travelled the world sharing her vision of Black Girl Magic, and now in collaboration with artist Jess X. Snow, presents her acclaimed tribute in a visual form. Black Girl Magic is a journey from girlhood to womanhood and an invitation to readers to find magic in themselves.
Brown Girl Dreaming Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s a Fractional Persian—half, his mom’s side—and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he’s sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn’t exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they’re spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city’s skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he’s Darioush to Sohrab. Adib Khorram’s brilliant debut is for anyone who’s ever felt not good enough—then met a friend who makes them feel so much better than okay.
Dear Martin Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.
Generation F: The Girls Write Now 2018 Anthology Fabulous. Ferocious. Fragile. Fresh. Female. This is Generation F: The Girls Write Now 2018 Anthology, featuring a foreword by Ashley C. Ford and an introduction by Teen Vogue's Executive Editor Samhita Mukhopadhyay and set for release on May 22nd, 2018. We are fighters and feminists, freethinkers and forces to be reckoned with. We are fitting in (or not), fed up, fighting back, and figuring it out in classrooms, cafes, and all across New York City. Coinciding with Girls Write Now's landmark 20th Anniversary, Generation F explores what it means to be part of a generation yet to be defined, facing unprecedented challenges, freedoms, technologies, and choices. The mentors and mentees in this unique volume are redefining feminist identities, finding their voices, fighting for essential rights, and facing our community with fresh eyes. The Girls Write Now anthology series has been recognized as the Outstanding Book of the Year in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, and has earned additional honors from the International Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the New York Book Festival, the San Francisco Book Festival, and the Paris Book Festival.
Love, Hate and Other Filters In this unforgettable debut novel, an Indian-American Muslim teen copes with Islamophobia, cultural divides among peers and parents, and a reality she can neither explain nor escape. Seventeen-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to their suburban Chicago home and being paired off with an older Muslim boy her mom deems “suitable.” And then there is the world of her dreams: going to film school and living in New York City—and pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school. But in the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, her life is turned upside down. The community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates are consumed with fear, bigotry, and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs.
On the Come Up Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.
Piecing Me Together Acclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.
Someone Like Me: How One Undocumented Girl Fought for Her American Dream Born in the picturesque town of Taxco, Mexico, Julissa Arce was left behind for months at a time with her two sisters, a nanny, and her grandma while her parents worked tirelessly in America in hopes of building a home and providing a better life for their children. That is, until her parents brought Julissa to Texas to live with them. From then on, Julissa secretly lived as an undocumented immigrant, went on to become a scholarship winner and an honors college graduate, and climbed the ladder to become a vice president at Goldman Sachs. This moving, at times heartbreaking, but always inspiring story will show young readers that anything is possible. Julissa's story provides a deep look into the little-understood world of a new generation of undocumented immigrants in the United States today--kids who live next door, sit next to you in class, or may even be one of your best friends.
Swing New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Solo) tell this lyrical story about hope, courage, and love that speaks to anyone who’s struggled to find their voice. And the surprise ending shines a spotlight on the issues related to our current social divide, challenging perspectives and inspiring everyone to make their voice heard. When America is not so beautiful, or right, or just, it can be hard to know what to do. Best friends Walt and Noah decide to use their voices to grow more good in the world, but first they’ve got to find cool. Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan to help them woo the girls of their dreams and become amazing athletes. Never mind that he and Noah failed to make the high school baseball team yet again, and Noah’s love interest since third grade, Sam, has him firmly in the friend zone. Noah soon finds himself navigating the worlds of jazz, batting cages, the strange advice of Walt’s Dairy Queen-employed cousin, as well as Walt’s “Hug Life” mentality. Status quo seems inevitable until Noah stumbles on a stash of old love letters. Each page contains the words he’s always wanted to say to Sam, and he begins secretly creating artwork using the lines that speak his heart. But when his private artwork becomes public, Noah has a decision to make: continue his life in the dugout and possibly lose the girl forever, or take a swing and finally speak out? At the same time, numerous American flags are being left around town. While some think it’s a harmless prank and others see it as a form of peaceful protest, Noah can’t shake the feeling something bigger is happening to his community. Especially after he witnesses events that hint divides and prejudices run deeper than he realized. As the personal and social tensions increase around them, Noah and Walt must decide what is really true when it comes to love, friendship, sacrifice, and fate.
Tyler Johnson Was Here Twins Marvin and Tyler couldn't be more different. Where Marvin is reserved, Tyler is charismatic. Where Marvin is consumed by grief for his absent father, Tyler is carefree. And where Marvin is careful, Tyler is daring. But despite their differences, and despite the poverty and trauma that threatens to pull them apart, the brothers are close. Then, one fateful night, Tyler decides to go to a party, and Marvin tags along, hoping to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts out as harmless fun soon descends into a night of chaos that ends in a police raid. And the next day, Tyler is missing. As his mother falls apart and his brother becomes known only as a hashtag, Marvin will learn what justice and freedom really mean in an unfair world.

Movie Trailer

Discussion Questions

The Hate U Give is a novel that provokes a lot of discussion about race, code-switching, among other topics. Here are a few discussion questions to get you started talking about the book.

Early in the book, Khalil and Starr listen to Tupac. Khalil explains what Tupac said “Thug Life” meant. What does this acronym mean and how else does the author use hip-hop as a motif?
Throughout the book, Starr talks about the different versions of herself. This is called code-switching. Do you think Starr's code-switching is successful? Do you think it's necessary? If yes, why? Do other characters code-switch in the book? Why? What role does code-switching play in your life?
How does Starr define family? How do you define family?
Starr refers to police officer Brian Cruise as his badge number: One-Fifteen. Why do you think she does this? Does her attitude toward police officers change over the course of the book? How does her uncle play into this change?
Starr is in an interracial relationship with Chris. Do you think this complicates their romance or strengthen it? Why? What do you think happens to them after the book?
Starr says to Hailey, “You can say something racist and not be racist.” What do you think this means? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
After the jury decision about Khalil's death is made public, unrest begins. There is a long history of this happening in the United States. Why do you think this happens? Do you agree with Starr's actions? If you were in Starr's position what would you do? Why?
What is the “trap of the white standard” that Starr’s brother Seven mentions? Have you seen examples of this in real life? Explain.
Starr is questioned by police about details from Khalil's past. Why do the detectives do this? What is Starr's reaction?
Where do you see yourself in Starr or her life?
Starr states that she will “never be quiet." How can you take steps to use your voice to promote social justice?

*Questions adapted from BOOKRIOT.

You can find even more discussion questions in the links below.

Related Books at UDC

Black Citizenship and Authenticity in the Civil Rights Movement by Randolph Hohle
ISBN: 128394278X
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
This book explains the emergence of two competing forms of black political representation that transformed the objectives and meanings of local action, created boundaries between national and local struggles for racial equality, and prompted a white response to the civil rights movement that set the stage for the neoliberal turn in US policy. Randolph Hohle questions some of the most basic assumptions about the civil rights movement, including the importance of non-violence, and the movement s legacy on contemporary black politics. Non-violence was the effect of the movement s emphasis on racially non-threatening good black citizens that, when contrasted to bad white responses of southern whites, severed the relationship between whiteness and good citizenship. Although the civil rights movement secured new legislative gains and influenced all subsequent social movements, pressure to be good black citizens and the subsequent marginalization of black authenticity have internally polarized and paralyzed contemporary black struggles. This book is the first systematic analysis of the civil rights movement that considers the importance of authenticity, the body, and ethics in political struggles. It bridges the gap between the study of race, politics, and social movement studies. "
Black Lives Matter and Music by Fernando Orejuela (Editor, Contribution by); Stephanie Shonekan (Editor, Contribution by); Portia K. Maultsby (Foreword by); Langston Collin Wilkins (Contribution by); Alison Martin (Contribution by); Denise Dalphond (Contribution by); Eileen M. Hayes (Contribution by)
ISBN: 025303843X
Publication Date: 2018-08-10
Music has always been integral to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, with songs such as Kendrick Lamar's "Alright," J. Cole's "Be Free," D'Angelo and the Vanguard's "The Charade," The Game's "Don't Shoot," Janelle Monae's "Hell You Talmbout," Usher's "Chains," and many others serving as unofficial anthems and soundtracks for members and allies of the movement. In this collection of critical studies, contributors draw from ethnographic research and personal encounters to illustrate how scholarly research of, approaches to, and teaching about the role of music in the Black Lives Matter movement can contribute to public awareness of the social, economic, political, scientific, and other forms of injustices in our society. Each chapter in Black Lives Matter and Music focuses on a particular case study, with the goal to inspire and facilitate productive dialogues among scholars, students, and the communities we study. From nuanced snapshots of how African American musical genres have flourished in different cities and the role of these genres in local activism, to explorations of musical pedagogy on the American college campus, readers will be challenged to think of how activism and social justice work might appear in American higher education and in academic research. Black Lives Matter and Music provokes us to examine how we teach, how we conduct research, and ultimately, how we should think about the ways that black struggle, liberation, and identity have evolved in the United States and around the world.
Black Youth Rising by Shawn A. Ginwright
ISBN: 0807750212
Publication Date: 2009-11-27
Black Youth Rising is a book that restores hope and possibility to the lives of urban black youth. In this pathbreaking account, author Shawn Ginwright details the powerful positive impact that community-based organizations can have in rebuilding the lives of urban black youth, through a process he calls radical healing. Readers can see how caring adults in a community setting are able to create safe spaces for youth to turn away from neighborhood violence and their own traumatic pasts. Together, young people build a refuge within their own community that allows them to avoid the common dangers of street life and build healthy identities and a productive future for themselves and others. Combining a theoretically grounded framework with practical strategies, Black Youth Rising offers a new model for understanding what African American youth need in order to succeed in school and in life. This book is essential reading for educators, social workers, community organizers, after-school coordinators, and all who work with inner-city adolescents.
The Hip Hop and Obama Reader by Travis L. Gosa (Editor); Erik Nielson (Editor)
ISBN: 019934180X
Publication Date: 2015-11-03
Featuring a foreword by Tricia Rose and an Afterword by Cathy J. CohenBarack Obama flipped the script on more than three decades of conventional wisdom when he openly embraced hip hop - often regarded as politically radioactive - in his presidential campaigns. Just as important was the extent to which hip hop artists and activists embraced him in return. This newrelationship fundamentally altered the dynamics between popular culture, race, youth, and national politics. But what does this relationship look like now, and what will it look like in the decades to come?The Hip Hop and Obama Reader attempts to answer these questions by offering the first systematic analysis of hip hop and politics in the Obama era and beyond. Over the course of 14 chapters, leading scholars and activists offer new perspectives on hip hop's role in political mobilization, grassrootsorganizing, campaign branding, and voter turnout, as well as the ever-changing linguistic, cultural, racial, and gendered dimensions of hip hop in the U.S. and abroad. Inviting readers to reassess how Obama's presidency continues to be shaped by the voice of hip hop and, conversely, how hip hopmusic and politics have been shaped by Obama, The Hip Hop and Obama Reader critically examines hip hop's potential to effect social change in the 21st century. This volume is essential reading for scholars and fans of hip hop, as well as those interested in the shifting relationship betweendemocracy and popular culture.
Media, Culture, and the Modern African American Freedom Struggle by Brian Ward (Editor)
ISBN: 0813020743
Publication Date: 2001-08-01
"A dazzling array of essays that vastly expands our understanding of the role of the media and popular culture in the politics of race. From Andy Griffith to Amiri Baraka, from Leadbelly's blues to "Sweet Sweetback's Baaadassss Song," this is a brilliant and irreplaceable collection."--Timothy B. Tyson, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power Stimulating and insightful, these essays on the relationship among the media, popular culture, and the postwar African American freedom struggle offer new perspectives on the nature of the Civil Rights Movement and its legacies. At the same time, they suggest how much the struggle itself shaped important trends in American culture and mass media in the 1950s and 1960s. Bringing together a range of voices seldom heard together, this book challenges readers to reconsider the ways in which a simplistic "master narrative" of the Movement has come to dominate popular, and even some scholarly, understandings of the meaning of the freedom struggle. CONTENTS Introduction: Forgotten Wails and Master Narratives: Media, Culture, and Memories of the Modern African American Freedom Struggle, by Brian Ward 1. The Media and the Movement: Looking Back from the Southern Front, by Julian Bond 2. A Media-Made Movement? Black Violence and Nonviolence in the Historiography of the Civil Rights Movement, by Jenny Walker 3. Black-Oriented Radio and the Civil Rights Movement, by Stephen Walsh 4. Reclaiming the South: Civil Rights Films and the New Red Menace, by Allison Graham 5. Hip Like Me: Racial Cross-Dressing in Pop Music Before Elvis, by David Chappell 6. "Climbing the Mountain Top": African American Blues and Gospel Songs from the Civil Rights Years, by Guido van Rijn 7. Free Jazz: Musical Style and Liberationist Ethic, 1956-1965, by Peter Townsend 8. Jazz and Soul, Race and Class, Cultural Nationalists and Black Panthers: A Black Power Debate Revisited, by Brian Ward 9. Villains, Demons, and Social Bandits: White Fear of the Black Cultural Revolution, by William L. Van Deburg 10. "Pimpin' Ain't Easy": Work, Play, and "Lifestylization" of the Black Pimp Figure in Early 1970s America, by Eithne Quinn 11. Mau-Mauing the Filmmakers: Should Black Power Take the Rap for Killing Nat Turner, the Movie? by Scot French 12. "The 1960s Echo On": Images of Martin Luther King Jr. as Deployed by White Writers of Contemporary Fiction, by Sharon Monteith 13. The Power of Martyrdom: The Incorporation of Martin Luther King and His Philosophy into African American Literature, by Trudier Harris Brian Ward, associate professor of American history at the University of Florida, is the author of Just My Soul Responding: Rhythm and Blues, Black Consciousness and Race Relations and coeditor of The Making of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.
Mixed Messages by David L. Brunsma (Editor)
ISBN: 158826372X
Publication Date: 2005-12-01
The experiences and voices of multiracial individuals are challenging current categories of race, profoundly altering the meaning of racial identity and in the process changing the cultural fabric of the nation. Exploring this new reality, the authors of Mixed Messages examine what we know about multiracial identities - and the implications of those identities for fundamental issues of justice and equality.
A New Introduction to Poverty by Louis Kushnick (Editor); James Jennings (Editor)
ISBN: 0814742386
Publication Date: 1999-01-01
Since the end of the Second World War, poverty in the United States has been a persistent focus of social anxiety, public debate, and federal policy. This volume argues convincingly that we will not be able to reduce or eliminate poverty until we take the political factors that contribute to its continuation into account. Ideal for course use, A New Introduction to Poverty opens with a historical overview of the major intellectual and political debates surrounding poverty in the United States. Several factors have received inadequate attention: the impact of poverty on women; the synergy of racism and poverty; race and gender stratification of the workplace; and, crucially, the ways in which the powerful use their resources to maintain the economic status quo. Contributors include Mimi Abramovitz, Peter Alcock, Bonnie Thornton Dill, Raymond Franklin, Herman George Jr., Michael B. Katz, Marlene Kim, Rebecca Morales, Sandra Patton, Valerie Polakow, Jackie Pope, Jill Quadagno, David C. Ranney, Barbara Ransby, Bette Woody, and Maxine Baca Zinn.
Nobody by Marc Lamont Hill; Todd Brewster (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9781501124945
Publication Date: 2016-07-26
A New York Times bestseller “[Nobody] examines the interlocking mechanisms that systematically disadvantage 'those marked as poor, black, brown, immigrant, queer, or trans'—those, in Hill’s words, who are Nobodies...A worthy and necessary addition to the contemporary canon of civil rights literature.” —The New York Times “An impassioned analysis of headline-making cases…Timely, controversial, and bound to stir already heated discussion.” —Kirkus Reviews “A thought-provoking and important analysis of oppression, recommended for those seeking clarity on current events.” —Library Journal Unarmed citizens shot by police. Drinking water turned to poison. Mass incarcerations. We’ve heard the individual stories. Now a leading public intellectual and acclaimed journalist offers a powerful, paradigm-shifting analysis of America’s current state of emergency, finding in these events a larger and more troubling truth about race, class, and what it means to be “Nobody.” Protests in Ferguson, Missouri and across the United States following the death of Michael Brown revealed something far deeper than a passionate display of age-old racial frustrations. They unveiled a public chasm that has been growing for years, as America has consistently and intentionally denied significant segments of its population access to full freedom and prosperity. In Nobody, scholar and journalist Marc Lamont Hill presents a powerful and thought-provoking analysis of race and class by examining a growing crisis in America: the existence of a group of citizens who are made vulnerable, exploitable and disposable through the machinery of unregulated capitalism, public policy, and social practice. These are the people considered “Nobody” in contemporary America. Through on-the-ground reporting and careful research, Hill shows how this Nobody class has emerged over time and how forces in America have worked to preserve and exploit it in ways that are both humiliating and harmful. To make his case, Hill carefully reconsiders the details of tragic events like the deaths of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, and Freddie Gray, and the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. He delves deeply into a host of alarming trends including mass incarceration, overly aggressive policing, broken court systems, shrinking job markets, and the privatization of public resources, showing time and time again the ways the current system is designed to worsen the plight of the vulnerable. Timely and eloquent, Nobody is a keen observation of the challenges and contradictions of American democracy, a must-read for anyone wanting to better understand the race and class issues that continue to leave their mark on our country today.
Privileged Thinking in Today's Schools by David Barnett; Carol Christian; Richard Hughes; Rocky Wallace
ISBN: 9781607099697
Publication Date: 2010-11-16
Privileged thinking in today's schools is alive and well and shows its ugly head in a variety of ways that often go undetected (or are not addressed) by the educators down in the trenches. In this collection of scenarios and episodes, many of which were experienced by the authors in their years as school administrators, you will find an array of provocative examples of social injustice in the classroom, and what you can do to prevent it in your own school community. As the authors candidly and vulnerably reveal their own 'blind spots' and biases that occurred 'on their watch,' readers will be able to take a look in the mirror as well, thus taking a critical step in better advocating for those students 'left on the fringe' in classrooms and schools.
Race, Culture and Gender by Ava Kanyeredzi
ISBN: 1137583886
Publication Date: 2018-04-11
This book presents an in-depth account of nine Black British women's experiences of violence and abuse. Through in depth interviews and analysis the author reveals their feelings of being silenced as children, women, Black women and as victims/survivors. Being silenced or staying silent about experiences of violence and abuse are key influences in how and when women access help and support and Kanyeredzi illuminates missed opportunities in how and when this help and support can and should be given. Based on women's descriptions of how they felt supported, listened to, yet 'unheard', chapters explore what professionals might face in the process of supporting Black women who access these services. The book contributes valuable understanding to the growing literature discussing challenges faced by minoritised women attempting to live full lives in the UK. It also includes images created as part of the project. This book is a useful resource for victims/survivors, students, researchers, clinical psychologists, counsellors, health professionals, social workers, educators and specialised violence support organisations.
Race-Ing Moral Formation by Vanessa Siddle Walker; John R. Snarey; Venessa Walker; John Snarey
ISBN: 0807744492
Publication Date: 2004-05-26
This critical volume incorporates the experiences of African Americans into the discourse on moral-development theory and moral education. Featuring cutting-edge essays, this book challenges widely held beliefs and offers new perspectives on moral reasoning. Features: A framework for interpreting the psychology of moral formation among African-American children, adolescents, and adults. Practical, pedagogical perspectives on promoting care, justice, and moral formation in our schools, grounded in a multiracial understanding of moral education. Blends the separate literatures on African American education and on moral education. Investigates distinct moral dilemmas that face the African American community, such as closing the education achievement gap, affirmative action, and the failure of academic institutions to be responsive to the needs of African American children.
Racial Justice in the Age of Obama by Roy L. Brooks; Roy L. L. Brooks
ISBN: 1400831040
Publication Date: 2009-08-03
With the election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States, the issue of racial justice in America occupies center stage. Have black Americans finally achieved racial justice? Is government intervention no longer required? Racial Justice in the Age of Obama considers contemporary civil rights questions and theories, and offers fresh insights and effective remedies for race issues in America today. While there are now unprecedented opportunities for talented African Americans, Roy Brooks shows that lingering deficiencies remain within the black community. Exploring solutions to these social ills, Brooks identifies competing civil rights theories and perspectives, organizing them into four distinct categories--traditionalism, reformism, limited separation, and critical race theory. After examining each approach, Brooks constructs the best civil rights theory for the Obama phase of the post-civil rights era. Brooks supports his theoretical model with strong statistics that break down the major racial groups along such demographics as income and education. He factors in the cultural and structural explanations for the nation's racial divisions, and he addresses affirmative action, the failures of integration, the negative aspects of black urban culture, and the black community's limited access to resources. The book focuses on African Americans, but its lessons are relevant for other groups, including Latinos, Asians, women, and gays and lesbians. Racial Justice in the Age of Obama maps out today's civil rights questions so that all groups can achieve equality at a time of unprecedented historical change.
Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies by Rima L. Vesely-Flad
ISBN: 1506420508
Publication Date: 2017-06-15
At the center of contemporary struggles over aggressive policing practices is an assumed association in U.S. culture of blackness with criminality. Rima L. Vesely-Flad examines the religious and philosophical constructs of the black body in U.S. society, examining racialized ideas about purity and pollution as they have developed historically and as they are institutionalized today in racially disproportionate policing and mass incarceration. These systems work, she argues, to keeps threatening elements of society in a constant state of harassment and tension so that they are unable to pollute the morals of mainstream society. Policing establishes racialized boundaries between communities deemed "dangerous" and communities deemed "pure" and, along with prisons and reentry policies, sequesters and restrains the pollution of convicted "criminals," thus perpetuating the image of the threatening black male criminal. Vesely-Flad shows how the anti-Stop and Frisk and the Black Lives Matter movements have confronted these systems by exposing unquestioned assumptions about blackness and criminality. They hold the potential, she argues, to reverse the construal of "pollution" and invasion in America's urban cores if they extend their challenge to mass imprisonment and the barriers to reentry of convicted felons.
Stare In the Darkness by Lester K. Spence
ISBN: 0816676852
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Critiquing the true impact of hip-hop culture on politics.
Talking about Structural Inequalities in Everyday Life by Ellen L. Short (Editor); Leo Wilton (Editor)
ISBN: 168123386X
Publication Date: 2016-01-27
The book, Talking About Structural Inequalities in Everyday Life: New Politics of Race in Groups, Organizations, and Social Systems, provides critical attention to contemporary, innovative, and cutting-edge issues in group, organizational, and social systems that address the complexities of racialized structural inequalities in everyday life. This book provides a comprehensive focus on systemic, societal, and organizational functioning in a variety of contexts in advancing the interdisciplinary fields of human development, psychology, counseling, social work, education, public health, multiculturalism/cultural studies, and organizational consultation. One of the most fundamental aspects of this book engages readers in the connection between theory and praxis that incorporates a critical analytic approach to learning and the practicality of knowledge. A critical emphasis examines how inequalities and power relations manifest in groups, organizations, communities, and social systems within societal contexts. In particular, suppressing talk about racialized structural inequalities in the dominant culture has traditionally worked to marginalize communities of color. The subtle, barely visible, and sometimes unspeakable behavioral practices involving these racialized dynamics are explored. This scholarly book provides a valuable collection of chapters for researchers, prevention experts, clinicians, and policy makers, as well as research organizations, not-for-profit organizations, clinical agencies, and advanced level undergraduate and graduate courses focused on human development, psychology, counseling, social work, education, public health, organizational consultation and advocacy.
They Can't Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery
ISBN: 9780316312479
Publication Date: 2016-11-15
A deeply reported book that brings alive the quest for justice in the deaths of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and Freddie Gray, offering both unparalleled insight into the reality of police violence in America and an intimate, moving portrait of those working to end it. Conducting hundreds of interviews during the course of over one year reporting on the ground, Washington Post writer Wesley Lowery traveled from Ferguson, Missouri, to Cleveland, Ohio; Charleston, South Carolina; and Baltimore, Maryland; and then back to Ferguson to uncover life inside the most heavily policed, if otherwise neglected, corners of America today. In an effort to grasp the magnitude of the repose to Michael Brown's death and understand the scale of the problem police violence represents, Lowery speaks to Brown's family and the families of other victims other victims' families as well as local activists. By posing the question, "What does the loss of any one life mean to the rest of the nation?" Lowery examines the cumulative effect of decades of racially biased policing in segregated neighborhoods with failing schools, crumbling infrastructure and too few jobs. Studded with moments of joy, and tragedy, They Can't Kill Us All offers a historically informed look at the standoff between the police and those they are sworn to protect, showing that civil unrest is just one tool of resistance in the broader struggle for justice. As Lowery brings vividly to life, the protests against police killings are also about the black community's long history on the receiving end of perceived and actual acts of injustice and discrimination. They Can't Kill Us All grapples with a persistent if also largely unexamined aspect of the otherwise transformative presidency of Barack Obama: the failure to deliver tangible security and opportunity to those Americans most in need of both.
Thug Life by Michael P. Jeffries
ISBN: 0226395863
Publication Date: 2011-01-15
Hip-hop has come a long way from its origins in the Bronx in the 1970s, when rapping and DJing were just part of a lively, decidedly local scene that also venerated b-boying and graffiti. Now hip-hop is a global phenomenon and, in the United States, a massively successful corporate enterprise predominantly controlled and consumed by whites while the most prominent performers are black. How does this shift in racial dynamics affect our understanding of contemporary hip-hop, especially when the music perpetuates stereotypes of black men? Do black listeners interpret hip-hop differently from white fans? These questions have dogged hip-hop for decades, but unlike most pundits, Michael P. Jeffries finds answers by interviewing everyday people. Instead of turning to performers or media critics, " Thug Life" focuses on the musicOCOs fansOCoyoung men, both black and whiteOCoand the resulting account avoids romanticism, offering an unbiased examination of how hip-hop works in peopleOCOs daily lives. As Jeffries weaves the fansOCO voices together with his own sophisticated analysis, we are able to understand hip-hop as a tool listeners use to make sense of themselves and society as well as a rich, self-contained world containing politics and pleasure, virtue and vice."

Research Resources

You can further explore the events, themes, and ideas in The Hate U Give in these recommended library databases.

Bush Presidency and Development and Debate Over Civil Rights Policy and Legislation This link opens in a new window
Contains materials on civil rights, the development of civil rights policy, and the debate over civil rights legislation during the administration of President George H.W. Bush and during his tenure as vice president. Contents include memoranda, talking points, correspondence, legal briefs, transcripts, news summaries, draft legislation, statements of administration policy (SAP’s), case histories, legislative histories and news-clippings covering a broad range of civil rights issues.
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Credo is a vast, online reference library, providing access to the full text of hundreds of highly regarded and popular titles. Credo Reference contains dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopaedias, quotations and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific titles.
Criminal Justice Database This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive database supporting research on crime, its causes and impacts, legal and social implications, as well as litigation and crime trends. As well as U.S. and international scholarly journals, it includes correctional and law enforcement trade publications, dissertations, crime reports, crime blogs and other material relevant for researchers or those preparing for careers in criminal justice, law enforcement and related fields.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Digitized back issues of scholarly journals with a rolling date of five years ago. Covers a wide variety of disciplines. Includes JSTOR Arts and Sciences I-XIII, Life Sciences, Business IV, Hebrew Journals, Ireland, Lives of Literature, Public Health, Security Studies, Sustainability, Global Plants, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa, World Heritage Sites: Africa. Also includes e-books and digital repositories with primary source materials.
Linguistics Database This link opens in a new window
This database includes full-text journals and other sources in linguistics. It covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
Literature Resource Center This link opens in a new window
Now included in Gale Literature. Literature criticism, biographies, work and topic overviews, reviews, and full text of many literary works—all searchable at the same time and returned in lists organized according to the type of research needs they serve.
Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new window
The premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from Offshore Drilling to Climate Change, Health Care to Immigration. Opposing Viewpoints in Context helps students research, analyze and organize a broad variety of data for conducting research, completing writing assignments, preparing for debates, creating presentations and more.

Instructor Resources

The ideas in the tabs above act as prompts to help you develop discussions, projects, or assignments related to The Hate U Give. They offer suggestions for ideas to include in your class or on your syllabus.

The downloadable file below includes additional resources and project ideas.

The Hate U Give Ideas
This downloadable file is from the Anti-Defamation League's Book of the Month.

Here are some tips to leading a successful book discussion:

Before the Discussion

Read the book completely and take notes about the themes, motifs, and topics. Write down important page numbers and highlight important passages.
Come up with eight to ten questions about the book. You can also see a list of discussion questions for this title here.

During the Discussion

Ask your question and let others answer first.
Make connections between comments.
Ask follow-up questions.
Bring the conversation back to the discussion if people go off on tangents.
Don't feel obligated to ask all your questions.
Don't end a conversation if people are on-topic and really enjoying what they are sharing.
Wrap up the discussion by highlighting key points.
Thank the participants.

Discussion Questions

The following may be used as project prompts for The Hate U Give:

Create a vision board or collage of their different identities.
Write and/or record their own song related to the themes in the book.
Find video clips showing different perspectives on how uprisings/riots are portrayed in the media.
Create a protest sign using a theme from the book.

The following may be used as writing prompts for The Hate U Give:

What role does the media play in the book? Compare that to the role media plays in covering issues like social justice, police violence, and the portrayal of black Americans.
What is code-switching? What role does it play in the book and in your personal life?
Discuss the similarities and differences between Starr's two identities - Garden Heights and Williamson.
Describe a time when you had to stand up for what was right. How did you feel? What made you do it? What was the outcome?
Is violence in the pursuit of justice ever justified? Why or why not?
What role does history have on how communities view racial injustice and/or police brutality?
Describe a situation where someone verbally told you that you were "acting white," or "acting black." How did this make you feel? Was this comment perceived as racist?
What role does this book play in the Black Lives Matter movement?
How does Starr react to Khalil's death? What role does her family and community play?
What insights does this novel generate concerning the national debate over police brutality and racial profiling? Does it open new perspectives or explain any inconsistencies?

Black Lives Matter At School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education. Their website offers information about the movement as well as material for classroom support. You can visit the website here.

The website also has a Google Drive of material that is available here.

Freshman Book Series (Common Read)