In chapter eight of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, the main character Starr attends the funeral of her best friend Khalil. Khalil was unarmed and shot by a police officer after being pulled over. Starr was in the car with him and witnessed all of this. Since this event at the beginning of the novel, Starr has not been the same. She can barely focus at school and finds herself pushing some of the most meaningful people in her life away. Khalil’s death has caused Starr to enter a time of anxiety.
The author’s use of sentence and paragraph structure reiterates Starr’s uneasiness and lack of composure. Starr’s point of view is told in first person in the novel, so throughout the funeral the reader is really immersed in how she feels; “My legs tremble and a wave of nausea hits me” (Thomas 125). On pages 126-127, Starr’s emotions speak loudly as the physical happenings in the service are a blur in the background; “The organist starts playing, and everyone stands. ‘And Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled,”‘ he says, coming down the aisle” (126). The quick jump from one event to another and the first person descriptions of Starr’s emotions really puts the reader in Starr’s place and is successfully communicated by sentence structure.
Great American Novels 2020 
Hey! I also read this book for my choice reading, and I loved it! I agree with you that the author makes it easy to understand Starr and allows readers to be able to feel her emotions. Starr really does drive the plot of the novel. I don’t think the book would be nearly as successful if the author didn’t make it so easy to understand the characters and put as much emphasize on Starr’s emotion and the storytelling.
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I saw the movie and loved it!
I agree with you that the author puts the readers into the main character’s shoes and put the story into a close third POV where the readers can see and feel the main character’s emotions and how she’s dealing with these heavy themes (police brutality and racial inequality).
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This blog did an amazing job! First of all, the title of this novel is quite interesting. Furthermore, you really put yourself into the book and discover the tones, dialogues, POV, motifs, and anything would attract your attention. The quotes enriched the details of the writing (make the paragraph better). Finally, the analysis of this novel is insightful!
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