... konnten die Schülerinnen und Schüler der 10. Klassen mit der Lektüre des topaktuellen Romans "The Hate U Give' von Angie Thomas, der vor dem Hintergrund des Black Lives Matter Movement spielt. Nicht nur, dass diese Lektüre eindrucksvolle Einsichten in das völlig unbekannte Ghettoleben in den USA vermittelt.

Auch die Lebenswirklichkeit von deutschen Jugendlichen spiegelt sich wider, z.B. bei der Reflexion der eigenen Mediennutzung, der Manipulation durch (Soziale) Medien sowie dem Umgang mit alltäglichen Mikroaggressionen. Die vielfältigen Eindrücke kamen ebenso kreativ wieder zum Ausdruck, vom Podcast bis hin zur Buchrezension. 

Auf geht’s, macht euch selbst einen Eindruck davon, warum auch ihr unbedingt dieses Buch lesen solltet - natürlich im englischen Original!

OStRin I. Geck

 

Podcast von Vroni Bäuml und Sophia Pfaffenzeller (10c):

Buchrenzension von Laura Einsiedl (10a):

A teenager fights against racism

An impressive book lets us experience racism, police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement through the eyes of a teenage girl.

“I shouldn’t have come to this party. I’m not even sure I belong at this party.”(p. 11, ll. 1-2) These are the first sentences of the novel The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and they also mark the beginning of a new chapter in the protagonist’s life. 16-year-old Starr and her friend Khalil flee from this party and are stopped by a police officer. The next move of the officerchanges everything. Khalil, although he neither has a weapon nor threatens anyone, is shot three times and dies immediately. Starr, who already saw a friend being killed six years ago, again has to deal with a horrible murder. And more than that: As the only witness, she has to decide whether to remain silent or to fight for justice. 

The quote at the beginning of this review also shows that Starr often feels that she doesn’t really belong. She grew up with her parents and her two brothers Seven and Sekani in Garden Heights, where violent fights between the gangs is only one problem out of many. The majority of the people who live there is black. At the same time, Starrattends Williamson Prep, a school with mainly white students. For her, it’s like living in two different worlds, which is the source of Starr’sconflict of identity. She always has to be careful what to say and how to behave, depending on where she is.This inner conflict doesn’t make it easier for her to deal with Khalil’s death.Because Starr is scared that she might receive threats when people get to know that she was the only witness of the murder. Thereforeshe tells nobody but her family about it. But when it dawns on herthat the officer who killed Khalil won’t be charged, she realizes that she has to speak up and fight for justice. 

The reason why this book can truly be described as an outstanding novel is the fact that the reader experiences today’s issues such as racism and police brutality through the eyes of the protagonist. The first-person narrative allows us to dive into Starr’s emotions and thoughts and shows how hard it is for herto find her way through problems like racism, fake friends and the fear of not being accepted. I highly recommend this novel, especially to everyone who is interested in the Black LivesMatter movement. 

Buchrezension von Tobias Schuster (10c):

The shot that changed her life forever

“The hate you give” is a 370 pages novel written by Angie Thomas. It talks about racism and police brutality in the USA.

Starr, a 16-year-old girl, is visiting a party in her neighbourhood, which is the suburb Garden Heights where crime happens regularly, gangs fight and drugs flood the community. There she is meeting her childhood friend Khalil, but their reunion is interrupted by a gang shooting. Therefore, Starr and Khalil leave the party and he wants to drive her home, but in a stroke of fate they are stopped by a police officer. While Starr is completely obeying the police officer’s orders as her parents explained to her to not give the police any reason to harm her by resisting or talking back, Khalil on the other hand is constantly questioning the police officer’s actions and is hardly cooperating. He is even pulled out of the car. Then it happens: when Khalil reaches into the car to look after Starr and grab something, he is shot by the policeman. Throughout the book Starr has to face hurtful classmates, criminals known as “King Lords”, police officers and even a grand jury in her pursuit of bringing the murderer of her friend to justice.

The novel shows the desperation of people living in “ghettos” and furthermore the reader dives into the world of African American culture. It informs about their lifestyle in such a detailed and profound way that you can perfectly relate to the characters. Angie Thomas describes their circumstances so well that you can perceive the story as if you were part of it. She is taking us on a journey through her own life presented through Starr and her experiences which show the conflict between the black and white world. The story of Starr, which even blurs the lines between reality and fiction, shows that racism and the conflict between ethnic groups still exists and how deeply rooted it is in current society. 

I would totally recommend this book to everyone, because more people should know about Starr and Emmett Till and so many more victims of racial violence in order to finally stop it from happening. Crimes against humanity should truly become history.