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.
Oh, man. Do I have a lot of things to say about this book. I’m not going to give my own synopsis because there is no way I could give this book justice by doing that. I picked up my copy two weeks ago and finished it in a week. I would have finished it quicker but I had holidays and other books I was reading at the same time. But this book has opened my eyes to so much.
Starr losses her best friend to a shooting by a cop, while her best friend was unarmed that didn’t change a thing. And Starr saw the whole thing. I cried while reading this book, I laughed and I thought so much.
The characters are ones I will never forget. If you have been following me on twitter, you have seen just how much I love Big Mav, Starr’s dad. He has turned his life around for his children and wants nothing more than for them to be successful and happy. That is what I want to see more of in YA, parents who are actually good at being parents. And Lisa too, she loves her kids and even those who aren’t biologically hers she loves and cares for but she wants her kids to work hard and do well.
Starr, Seven and Sekai are fierce and fun. They love each other and their friends more than anything. They are always there for each other, and are fun siblings. I loved reading about them so much.
Starr learns how to use her voice, knowing she can’t keep quiet no matter how badly she wants to. She has been faced with so many challenges and dealt with them the best she could. Starr doesn’t want to ask for help for awhile but when she starts talking about what she’s going through more, the better she feels.
Let’s talk about Big Mav again, he used to be part of some not so great activity and he knows what he did was wrong. He has dedicated his life to making it better and making sure his kids have a better life than he did. He isn’t just dedicated to his family, but he’s dedicated to his community and to helping make it better. He helps others who may fall down the path he did. He is admirable and I want to see more parents like him.
Lisa is fierce. She runs her home and loves her children. She works her BUTT off for these kids, for her biological kids and her non-biological son. She is dedicated and a force to be reckoned with, you do not want to cross her. And thats what I love about her. She is real. There is so much of my own parents and my friends parents that I see in her, that made me feel like I was apart of their family.
Maya was fun and really came into her own as the book went on. I was really proud of her when she finally stood up to Hayley who is the literal worst in my opinion. I wanted to deck her in the mouth every time she said something. Â But seeing Starr and Maya bond and see how loyal of a friend she is was amazing.
I really really really recommend this book to everyone. It is amazing and its SO well written and its just one of the best things I have ever read before.