The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
65 jurisdictions · Banned 2017-2025 · Published
The Hate U Give is Angie Thomas's 2017 young adult novel about a Black teenager who witnesses the police killing of her friend, banned or restricted in 65+ U.S. jurisdictions since its release.
Why it was banned
The novel was challenged immediately upon publication and has been targeted in Texas and across the South for what challengers describe as "anti-police" content. The cited reasoning consistently misreads the book's interrogation of policing as advocacy of violence. The book was adapted into a feature film in 2018 and remains one of the most banned young adult titles published this century.
Cited reasons
- anti-police messaging claim
- profanity
- racial content
Primary states
Texas, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, South Carolina
Why it matters
Angie Thomas's debut was the first major young adult novel to put a Black Lives Matter-era police shooting at the center of its story, told from the perspective of the Black teenager who witnessed it. Removing the book from school libraries removes one of the few mainstream entry points for young readers into a conversation about race and policing in America. The title is a Tupac Shakur reference: The Hate U Give Little Infants F---- Everybody (THUG LIFE).
Themes
- police violence
- Black Lives Matter
- young adult
- coming of age
Awards
- Coretta Scott King Honor
- Michael L. Printz Honor
- William C. Morris Award
Where to buy
The Ledger recommends Black-owned booksellers. Each stocks this title or can order it.
- MahoganyBooksNational Harbor, Maryland · Founded
Independent bookstore specializing in books written for, by, and about people of the African diaspora.
- Semicolon Bookstore and GalleryChicago, Illinois · Founded
Chicago's only Black woman-owned independent bookstore, with a mission to raise literacy rates among Chicago Public School students.
- Harriett's BookshopPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania · Founded
Named for Harriet Tubman, focusing on women authors, artists, and activists.
- The Lit. BarBronx, New York · Founded
The only independent bookstore in the Bronx, combining a curated bookshop with a wine bar.
The Ledger may earn commission on affiliate links. All commissions route to Black-owned booksellers.
Related banned books
Books in the catalog that share themes with this one.
Documented by The Ledger. A record of what Black America built and what was taken.
Book cover via Open Library. Editorial use under fair use.