16-year-old Starr Carter lives in a poor community, rife with gangs, violence and a dangerous drug lord. Her father runs a small grocery store, and the family sends Starr and her brothers to a private school. Their lives at school are a whole different world for them. Starr’s school friends don’t know what her home life is like, and her friends in the hood don’t know her school friends. It’s like living two lives. But when Starr is the only witness to a police involved shooting which kills her friend Khalil, an unarmed black teenager, Starrs life changes - in fact, it affects the whole community - both of them.
This debut novel is a sensitive, realistic look at some very important issues. Race relations, gangs, violence, the legal system, The language is very mature, making it difficult to recommend to the younger reader, but this book should speak to everyone. Very well put together, the page count looks daunting, but the story is gripping from the beginning and holds the reader to the very last page. It deserves all the hype it’s getting. Well done! This will be hard to keep on the shelves.
HS - OPTIONAL Lisa Librarian
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