christina's book corner

June 4-9

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.

Review : This book was very powerful when at a party with her friend she runs into her old friend Khalil and when shots go off he brings her to his car then a cop stops him and ends up shooting Khalil in front of star and she is hurting and doesn't know what she should do she wants to speak out to help Khalil so she starts to speak she wants that cop to be arested but she knows it won't happen which is very fucked up I mean he killed him . There is also this big drug dealer who may try to go after star cause she snitched . Star goes to a fancy school and she is a different kind of person she has a boyfriend named Chris and I really love them together and she has two friends Maya and Hailey I hated Hailey she made these remarks and I wanted to punch her and when the news came out with all the Khalil stuff she felt bad for the cop when the cop killed Khalil . And when Hailey said he would of died anyway cause he was a drug dealer I wanted to punch her and star did . When it's announced that the cop won't get jail time Star freaks out and wants to take a stand and she does I really loved this book it gave a message that we all need to read this and speak out .
Quotes : “Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”

At an early age I learned that people make mistakes, and you have to decide if their mistakes are bigger than your love for them.”

Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared.”

Why does Chris always have to be lil'l to you ? I ask . He's not little . You better be talking about his height says Daddy , Amen , Uncle Carlos adds and they fist bump again.

That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”

“Once upon a time there was a hazel-eyed boy with dimples. I called him Khalil. The world called him a thug.
He lived, but not nearly long enough, and for the rest of my life I'll remember how he died.
Fairy tale? No. But I'm not giving up on a better ending.”

“Once you've seen how broken someone is it's like seeing them naked—you can't look at them the same anymore.”