Perspectives are very important when it comes to writing a story. I will be writing a blog piece written from Starr’s perspective and internal thoughts.

I don’t fit in with other people in Garden Heights. But I don’t need to. As long as I’m white Starr around my white friends. I’ve gotten pretty freaking good at it. Don’t use slang or ghetto words I hear around the house. Don’t talk about stuff that goes down in my neighborhood. Let them do most of the talking and you’ll be fine. It’s like I live a double life. At home, shits crazy. Seven is usually screaming at momma for something or another. Hearing gunshots outside doesn’t even phase me. Well, it didn’t use to. Now, when I hear a gun shot, I swear you can hear my heart beat from miles away. I think about Kahlil and Natasha. Man I miss them. Every day I think about how different my life – or lives, would be if they were still around. I’d do anything to hear Kahlils laugh again. Or to get to say goodbye to either one of them. Goodbyes are the worst, but it’s closure, and thats exactly what I need right about now. It’s been weeks since he was shot and my parents are still on me. “How you doing lil girl?” I always just say good. What else am I suppose to say? I’m hurting but I’ve been taught to get over things like this. It’s crazy to think I’m living two separate lives and Kahlil and Natasha don’t even get to live one.

In “The Hurt You Give” you can definitely tell that Starr (the main character of the story) comes from a lower class, not financially stable yet not impoverished – family. The language and tone used in the first few pages already portrayed the characters as almost “ghetto.” I am currently on chapter 12, and a lot has happened since chapter 4, but throughout it all, there has been a consistent tone throughout the book, which gives the reader and idea on where Starr comes from. For me, I see the story set in the Urban neighborhood of Garden Heights, and based on name brands, technology, and grammar, it could be set as recently as 2019 . The further I get into the book, the more developed the characters become. You can tell from the start that Starr is definitely not an attention seeking person. Shes shy, she doesn’t like to cause a scene, and shes very introverted, especially when it comes to large crowds or parties. After her friend was shot, obviously people wanted to be there for her – because witnessing something like that is life changing. Her family and Kahlils family is constantly asking “You okay?” and no matter how badly she wants to say no, she sucks it up and pretends that she is perfectly fine.

The Narrator of the book is Starr. I really like the way the author used her language and slang to portray the character more. Before the end of the first chapter, you already find out about her past (regarding Natasha), her personality; very introverted, would much rather spend her time watching Netflix alone in her bed than at a huge party. We also learn that she goes to a school that her “other” friends don’t go to. People call her snobby for attending a school full of white kids, but she enjoys her friends there, even though she’s different. You don’t read too far into the book before the first big event occurs. Khalil is shot 3 times by an officer right in front of Starr. She experiences flashbacks to Natasha and she can’t stop picturing the blood, the scream, the moments leading up to the end.

In order to read this book in a decent amount of time, I set a reading schedule so I can make sure to be reading frequently, but also, not reading it all at once.

4/9 Finish Chapter 3 Blog #1 and #2

4/11 Finish Chapter 8

4/15 Finish Chapter 12 Blog #3

4/17 Finish Chapter 18

4/24 Chapter 26 Blog #4

I am starting this blog to review the book “The Hurt You Give” by Angie Thomas, piece by piece. I have heard very little about this book but am interested to read it because I’ve always been interested in books that have to do with discrimination, crime, etc. and how we have grown since those times. Right away, the title already grabs my attention. I can tell just by reading the reviews that this story is heartfelt, emotional, and will make you feel many different feelings of empathy, hopefulness, and pity. . I am excited to dive into this book!

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton