In this episode of Banned Before Breakfast, host AP explores the incendiary power of Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give — a YA novel that didn’t just spark controversy, it sparked a movement. Banned across schools and libraries for its unflinching critique of police violence and systemic racism, The Hate U Give gives voice to a generation silenced by fear and institutional denial.

We break down what censors misunderstood, what the novel actually teaches about justice, protest, and identity, and why literature that speaks hard truths — especially from Black voices — continues to be buried. This episode reframes Starr Carter’s story as more than fiction. It’s a mirror, a megaphone, and a masterclass in resistance.

Because in a world that bans books for telling the truth, reading becomes a revolutionary act.



References & Citations

• Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. Balzer + Bray, 2017.
• "Banned Spotlight: The Hate U Give." BannedBooksWeek.org. https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-the-hate-u-give/
• "Banned Books Week: The Hate U Give." Marshall University Libraries. https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/the-hate-u-give/
• “This Is the Most Banned Book in Georgia.” WSAV News, 2023. https://www.wsav.com/news/this-is-the-most-banned-book-in-georgia/
• “The Hate U Give lands on school district banned lists.” MSNBC, 2023. https://www.msnbc.com/ali-velshi/-hate-u-give-book-ban-lists-rcna96251
• Autside. “Banned Books Week: The Hate U Give.” https://autside.substack.com/p/banned-books-week-the-hate-u-give/comments

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Check out this information from the American Library Association: Get Involved | Banned Books