Starr Carter knows how to act around the police. In addition to the talk about the birds and the bees, she also received the talk about how to behave should she encounter the police. One evening she has to remember the lessons of that talk. A policeman has pulled over Starr and her friend Khalil one night. Starr hopes that Khalil also knows how to behave. He doesn't follow the rules. He asks the cop questions. The situation escalates. Suddenly, Starr has a gun drawn on her while her friend is dead in a puddle of blood next to his vehicle.
Starr is the only one who knows what happened that night. When the community hears that Khalil was unarmed, protests begin. The media gets involved. Starr wants to use her voice, but her parents fear for her privacy. No one knows that she is the witness to the shooting.
This novel unfolds into the investigation into the police shooting. Starr struggles with the case as well as being a teenage girl living between two worlds: the world of her prep school and the world of her poor neighborhood. Will Starr use her voice to fight for justice? Will her school friends understand her? Will Khalil get justice?
This amazing debut novel features one of the strongest narrators I've read in a long time. Starr's interior monologue is powerful as it provides insight into her struggles moving between two worlds and her struggles coping with the realities of this investigation. The characters are rich and well-developed. Starr's family is one of the best families that I have read in a long time.
If you are interested in reading a story that could have been pulled from current events surrounding police violence and racism, this book is for you. If you love stories of unconventional families that come together in time of struggle, this book is for you. If you love well-written stories, this book is for you!
Starr is the only one who knows what happened that night. When the community hears that Khalil was unarmed, protests begin. The media gets involved. Starr wants to use her voice, but her parents fear for her privacy. No one knows that she is the witness to the shooting.
This novel unfolds into the investigation into the police shooting. Starr struggles with the case as well as being a teenage girl living between two worlds: the world of her prep school and the world of her poor neighborhood. Will Starr use her voice to fight for justice? Will her school friends understand her? Will Khalil get justice?
This amazing debut novel features one of the strongest narrators I've read in a long time. Starr's interior monologue is powerful as it provides insight into her struggles moving between two worlds and her struggles coping with the realities of this investigation. The characters are rich and well-developed. Starr's family is one of the best families that I have read in a long time.
If you are interested in reading a story that could have been pulled from current events surrounding police violence and racism, this book is for you. If you love stories of unconventional families that come together in time of struggle, this book is for you. If you love well-written stories, this book is for you!
