Novel Turned Film “The Hate U Give”

After countless events and mistreatment of Blacks, specifically Black men, the film adapted by Audrey Wells from Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel, The Hate You Give has made its way to the screen as a film.

The story follows 16-year old Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg). Carter is forced to switch between two worlds: the neighborhood that she lives in, inhabited by predominantly poor/middle class Blacks and the Prep School that she attends, filled with her rich Whites classmates. Her world becomes shattered when she witnesses the shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil (Algee Smith) at the hands of a White Police Officer, which was inspired by the shooting of Oscar Grant in California. She soon faces pressure from both sides of the community and must be willing to stand up for what she believes is right.

“I was inspired because I was in college when that happened, and I was being those two different people in those two different worlds, like Starr. I was angry. I was frustrated. I was hurt. So it was actually the frustration and the anger and the pain that led me to write the short story that later became 'The Hate You Give.’”

What we do know of the film so far is that it will feature some familiar faces, which include Regina Hall, Issa Rae, Common, Anthony Mackie, and Russell Hornsby. The producers of the film are Robert Teitel, George Tillman, Jr,. Marty Bowen, and Wyck Godfrey. Alongside Stenberg and Smith, Riverdale’s KJ Apa and Girl Meets World’s Sabrina Carpenter are also set to star in the film.

The Author, Angie Thomas chose to speak on why Starr was given a white boyfriend and her thoughts on the shooting and killing of Oscar Grant.

“I get asked that question a lot, and it usually comes from older black women. With the character of Chris, i wanted to show what a real ally looks like, and Chris learns to do something that is so important for an ally to do-that’s listen.”

“I was angry. I was frustrated. I was hurt. So it was actually the frustration and anger and the pain that led me to write the short story that later became ‘The Hate U Give.’ I really wanted people to look at young black men in a different light. And that one word, ‘thing,’ because so many people look at the book title-it spells out the word ‘thug.’ That word is so often used to describe young black men. And I want people to look at the word in a different way."

Amandla Stenberg recently played Rue in “The Hunger games,” as well as last year in the film version of “Everything, Everything,” and now she will be starring in The Hate U Give.

“The Hate U Give” will be in theaters on Oct. 19. View the trailer below: