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.

I am so happy to add this book to my “read” shelf. I am also very happy to have listened to it on audible. The narrator’s voice made the characters come alive and add to the passion that the author no doubtlessly meant to portray to the reader.

Starr’s story is also the story of many young African American young woman and men living in poor urban neighborhoods but have a much bigger story to tell. Listening to Starr’s story from her perspective really makes the reader think. She allows the reader to experience a side of the story that is sometime misinterpreted.

Starr is brave and courageous and the heroine to many in her community. She was with her friend Khalil when he was unjustly shot and killed by a police officer. She was terrified and confused. When she should have felt the most protected by law enforcement she felt betrayed and mistreated. It was heartbreaking and inspiring to read her story! Highly recommend this book!!

Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books.

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