“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent”
#blurb: Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.
Author: Angie Thomas
Publisher: Walker Books
Buy it here
Pages: 464
My Review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
Starr, a 16 year old girl was travelling with her friend Khalil from a party when suddenly a police officer stops their car and wrongfully murders Kalil just based on his doubts. Starr who happened to be the sole witness of the killing of one of her best friends gets shocked and feels devastated to the core. She doesn’t take time to realize that Khalil was killed because he was black just like her. That incident becomes a nightmare for her and she feels difficult to carry on with her normal life. She wants to teach that policeman a lesson but is afraid that being a minority it can bring her family into more trouble. Will Starr be able to raise her voice? Will there be justice for Khalil? Or due to racial discrimination the murderer will able to walk freely? If you want to know in depth about Starr’s fight for justice then pick up the book.
The book is amazingly written and points out the injustice against black people. The plot is fresh and the characters are well casted. It is fast paced and keeps you hooked till the end. Racially motivated violence against black people is the main theme of this book. Even in 21st century they are being oppressed and killed just because of their skin colour. How black people are more likely to face injustice is highlighted in the book. Black Americans still fear the police and the underlying causes are horrible and unforgivable. Though all the police are not same like all the white people are not same but there are some because of whom the inequity and hatred still prevails. It breaks your heart to read what Starr has to go through for being a black and how at every step she was threatened to back out from the case. The scenarios described in the book makes you questions that if freedom still prevails in the 21st century. One question again and again popped up in my mind that how can one human being hate another just because of their skin colour. And not just in America, these situations prevail in every other country where minorities are looked down upon and neglected. It pains to see so much hatred in this world based on caste, religion,sexuality, skin colour, etc. Life is too short to spend on spreading negativity when you actually should be loving each other and pulling each other up. Angie Thomas has put forward this brilliant book which urges you to raise your voice against this oppression. Everyone of us has got a voice which we should learn to utilize to make this world a better place for everyone. Starr is a very brave girl who went forward despite of being afraid, also her family and friends are the best anyone can have. Also to have a boyfriend like Chris you need to be very lucky. They all stood for her when she needed them. They were like her support group who didn’t let her lose hope. I request everyone to read this book. This book is one of those kinds which deserves to be read. I highly recommend it to everyone.
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