Favorite Reads of 2017

Some of these, I am sure you will be able to guess because they were extremely hyped but here goes nothing. Also, I will link the ones that I have already reviewed and look forward to seeing others.

The Hate You Give ~ Angie Thomas

There was a lot of hype surrounding this book but it was so well deserved. She put out an incredible debut novel with social justice filling the pages. It was amazing. 

milk and honey ~ Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur's debut poetry collection got me back into poetry. I'm currently reading her second one and I am loving it so very much. I really love that she includes sketches, as well.

American Street ~ Ibi Zoboi

This is a novel that I read right after I read The Hate You Give and I was pleasantly surprised that it had just as many social justice messages in it, but those messages were pertaining to very different issues. It gave amazing insight to immigration. 

Moxie ~ Jennifer Mathieu

I just finished this and have yet to write a review on it. Once it is published I will try and remember to link it to this post. However, this book is incredible. The main character reminds me a lot of myself and the messages that she and those who participated in Moxie were making, were incredible for young feminists to read.

Girls Like Us ~ Rachel Lloyd

I was assigned this reading for my class at University focusing on Human Trafficking and I am so glad that I read it. Rachel was a victim, who became a survivor, who became a surviving leader and she is helping others do the same. She gives amazing insight to her experiences and the mindset of those in the life as well. 

What Happened ~ Hillary Clinton

I was nervous to read this for many reasons but I am so glad that I listened to it. It gave great insight to her life and she gave a great perspective on the campaign and the first few months afterwards as well. 

Everything, Everything ~ Nicola Yoon

This was such an intriguing young adult contemporary novel. It dealt with family lies, love, fear, dreaming. It was just beautifully written. I really want to watch the movie. 

Turtles All The Way Down ~ John Green

This is John Green's best book yet!! He presents mental illness in such a real and raw fashion that I actually felt like I was experiencing some of my own anxieties as I read it. I cried when it was over just because I didn't want it to end. 

The Hate You Give ~ Angie Thomas

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.

Book Review

There is a lot of hype around this book right now, much of it due to our current Political Climate and the Black Lives Matter Movement that this book gives an interesting and new perspective on; therefore, I was hesitant to pick it up. Usually when there is such a hype around books, I get nervous about reading them. Are they going to live up to the expectations that social media has planted into my head? Are they going to have those same tropes like other YA novels that have become boring to me? Is it going to be as mindblowing as I need it to be? Although, I was nervous, I was also very excited. This is a debut novel by Angie Thomas and personally, I find debut novels to be a great incite into the talent of an author. Also, the plot line has such a strong sociopolitical dynamic to it that I just couldn't resist. 

I took an immediate liking to Starr. She is so strong even though she has a lot of internal conflicts. Her relationships with her family is so realistic but sweet at the same time. Throughout the book, she has to come to terms with who she is while living two different lives. On one hand, she is an ex-gangster's daughter in the middle of the ghetto. On the other hand, she is one of the very few black kids at a very prestigious school in a ritzy neighborhood. Her friends and boyfriend from school don't understand her life at home, they don't understand the culture, and they really do not understand how racism impacts her and her family on a daily basis. 

Now, as if the internal identity issues weren't enough, you throw in the fact that she watched a police officer kill her unarmed friend in front of her. She has to deal with the uprising in her community due to his death, as well as a gang war, and having to make an eye witness testimony against a police officer. Throughout this novel we watch Starr stick to her morals and values, which I find to be very empowering. In a lot of YA novels, we deal with a character who is struggling with doing what his or her peers are doing or going their own way, but this gave that trope a very realistic, powerful, current, and new outlook.   

After I finished reading this novel I wanted to pick up something similar. This happens a lot of me. For example, in middle school, after I finished the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer I began reading the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. But this style of writing is very unique. The plot is very unique. Trying to find another YA novel with a strong sociopolitical plot is and was difficult. But Angie Thomas has made this style a new favorite for me.

Pages: 464                                                                                                                                 Rate: 5/5

Favorite Quote:

“At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”