I truly think everyone should read this. In this first novel, the author has written a book from a black teen’s perspective, which parallels the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, as has happened and caused riots here in the USA. Teens can be difficult, and no one in this story is perfect, by any means. But, there are many sides to any story, and this is a thought-filled book that I think people need to read to hear about the black experience in poor, violent, gang-ridden sections of large cities. Through the eyes of a teen, as well as the skillful writing of this new African American author, I believe there is a lot of perspective to be gained. I know many won’t even pick it up because they don’t want to know, but isn’t that part of the problem? Just because someone has not personally had to deal with this, doesn’t mean they should close their eyes and pretend there’s nothing wrong. Enlighten yourself and think about the title, from Malcolm X’s own words. Are you subtly, hiddenly, or openly passing on the hate you learned, whether you are black or white. We need to examine our own conscience’s to see what we are contributing to our society, possibly what each of us could do to improve racial justice and equality in our country.

Okay, this review is probably going to be short and sweet since it has been so long since I read this book.What I DO remember about this book is that it was SO good! It will make you angry, it will make you sad, it will open your eyes and enlighten you. Starr is such an amazing character. She has to go through things that no kid should have to go through. But she's so strong and handles it so well, despite the strong (likely) possibility of an unfavorable outcome.I loved the family dynamic in this book. I loved how much Starr's family all loved and cared for each other. It's so refreshing to see a full, functional family for a change.Another thing I really liked about this book was the sense of community in Garden Heights. I loved all the interactions between the different people and seeing how much they all loved their community. That's not something I recall seeing in really any books and I enjoyed it.A couple of things I remember wanting to talk about regarding this book:-While I was reading this book, I remember thinking that Sekani was an odd name. And I love that this was actually addressed in the book and that it totally put me in my place. I don't remember exactly what was said, but I remember I liked it. But I feel like I can't really say anything about anyone's name because I feel like Cyra is an odd name.-I was so so so glad when Starr stopped putting up with Hailey's crap. She was a really rotten friend and it made me sad to think that Starr had to be a different person around her white friends at school.Overall, this book was fantastic! I was a bit late to the party on reading this one, but I would definitely recommend it if you are also fashionably late to this party. It is powerful and deserves every single ounce of hype that it gets and MORE!

This book is marketed as a young adult/teen book but I think that is much too limiting. Given the times in which we live, this heart wrenching book should be on everyone's must-read list. I am a retired white attorney so have lived a life of privilege that I am horrified to say, all too often feels 'normal' rather than privileged. I have been blessed to never have lost a friend or family member to gun violence. And while saddened and horrified by the almost daily accounts of police shootings involving mostly people of color (POC), it wasn't until reading this book that I could more fully comprehend the constant tension and fear that POC and especially those growing up black in this country today, experience. Written through a 16 year old girl's eyes, this is a compelling look at what we as a nation seem to have come to deem 'normal' and the cultural abyss that people of color must straddle when trying to live authentically yet safely.

Wife review: It is a good book that speak about an important issue: racism and police brutality in the US.One of the best books I've read when I was younger (I am 32 now) was Bodega Dreams from Ernesto Quinonez, it felt good reading something that was from another point of view, and that is what I liked about this book, also I liked the Carter family, all of them.I loved the family dynamics and Starr's mom and dad story too, and how Starr struggled about being one or another person depending on where she is and with who she is. It is an important book for everyone, and also for minorities in other countries of the world. I think people wanting to, should be able to see life with Starr's eyes reading this book and understand the struggles, and that poverty combned with racism create anger, even if they were not confronted to it themselves.I haven't put 5*, because I feel some of the aspect of the book are predictables and that there are some other aspects that could have been covered, but it is for YA, so I guess it is a good book for young people, also it was an important read. I love reading in English, but my written english is not that good, I hope my review is understandable.Assyah

Wow, what a great book! This book is so timely in the wake of all the shootings of young black men and the inability of law enforcement to train their personnel to respond differently when making routine stops and for the anger members in the community feel when charges are not brought up against the officers.This is also a coming of age book about the protagonist in the story: Starr, a 16 year old African American girl who is trying to straddle two worlds: the working class, tight knit, all black neighborhood where literally "everybody knows your name" and the upper middle class, predominantly white high school her parents send her and her two brothers to.Boy, did this book ring a bell, park itself in my psyche and stayed awhile to visit! I could relate to all of the characters: in some ways Starr's family is my family: as black parents how do we insure our kids have a good education and yet keep them in touch with their cultural heritage, and why, as black parents do we have to make these kind of choices? I too have made the speech to our kids about what to do if you're stopped by the police, we too are tired and frustrated with the needless deaths of young African American men.The story very realistically depicts how Starr struggles with the death of her close friend Khalil, what it means to her and her community that she is the only eye witness. The author fully captures what DuBois called the double consciousness that many blacks still have to live in America. She has Starr deal with micro aggression from friends, navigating having a white boyfriend, internalized negative stereotypes about blacks, are you betraying your family and/or your community when you move out of the "hood"? and then the everyday, "regular" messiness of family life.Great fantastic debut novel with awesome characters, lots and lots of depths and nuances of the complexity of what it means to grow up black in 21st century America. I look forward to reading books by this author in the future.