Common Book Evokes Thoughtful Responses from Students This year all first-year Menlo College students read The Hate U Give, an impressive debut novel by Angie Thomas. In this gripping story, 16-year-old Starr Carter sees a policeman shoot her friend Khalil. Starr’s black community Garden Heights rises up in protest, factions in the community struggle to gain dominance, and tensions escalate in the nearby white community where Starr goes to high school. As the turmoil rises, Starr must testify to the grand jury. From whom should she seek advice? And finally, how will she learn to listen to no one but herself? Students responded to this book passionately and with insight. Here are the perceptive observations of six Menlo College freshmen:
Menlo students gather for a discussion at the First Year Retreat in August of 2018 at Walker Creek Ranch in west Marin County, CA. Photo: Jaagriti Sharma
Megan Robinson, President of the Class of 2022 – When The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas came out, my family told me it was a MUST read, that it was the best book they had read in a long time. That went in one ear and out the other until this novel was assigned as Menlo’s common book. Within the first few pages I was addicted; I honestly could not put it down. But even though it was such an intriguing book, it was a hard read. There were times when I related so much to the story that tears filled my eyes and I would just cry. I realized that I was not alone and that children of all minorities have felt the pain of betraying their own history, roots, and morals to fit in with society. I want people to understand the importance of finding your voice because, just like Starr, I was drowning in society’s stereotypes and clichés of being a young black woman in America. I was scared to defend myself from people who would 25 WINT ER 2019
degrade me, comment negatively on my skin tone, and disrespect the things they did not like about my culture. But once I found my voice it was the easiest thing to correct them when they were wrong or disrespectful. Now that I have found my voice, just like Starr, I plan on making a change. Anna Schobel – The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas emphasizes the fact that racism still greatly influences black peoples’ lives. Being assigned to a category of inferiority and unable to escape police injustice, the character Starr goes through experiences faced by many black people in the United States. Because I have never personally experienced such hate, I have to admit that I was shocked as I read the book. I wasn’t distinctly aware that police brutality and oppression against people of color still exist to a great extent. The Hate U Give opened my eyes and made me realize how important it is for every single one of us to fight against racial discrimination. Our voice is the greatest and strongest tool we own. We shouldn’t be afraid to speak out not only for black people, but also for anyone who is treated unjustly. Then and only
then, can we all live together in a world worth living. Rufus Kuzhivila Pappy – One of the biggest issues that plagues this country is fear of the unknown. People are almost always afraid of things that they are not familiar with. In this country, this “thing” is identity. Everyone has lived and grown up differently, and everyone is different. However, there is no use in classifying people, because we are all humans. This is the common umbrella that we are all under. As soon as people make this realization, the formation of unhealthy groups, or competition between groups will cease. This should be our goal for solving this problem — breaking down the walls of ignorance. This book presents an argument to use one’s voice to bring this positive change to the world. Our words have power, and we should use this power to break down walls that separate us. Wendy Mouat – The Hate U Give is a novel that gives a voice to the uncomfortable side of life. The novel gives you an inside look at how children in certain areas where violence has occurred are