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Sam (74 KP) rated The Hate u Give in Books

Nov 30, 2018

The Hate u Give

Angie Thomas | 2017 | Children

8.4

(54 Ratings)

Book Rating

Strong Characterisation, Great Cover (0 more)

Wrong Tone, Bad Examples (0 more)

Problematic

I was so excited to start reading this one. Because of how popular it had been, I'd put off buying it for ages. Waterstones had a special edition in and that was as much of an excuse as I needed to buy it. It's got five-star reviews everywhere, has won so many awards, and literally, everyone is talking about it. So, of course, it's worth a try. Only I didn't enjoy it to the point where I got halfway through and couldn't finish it. I wasn't even sure whether to post the review because I know that lots of people will disagree with me over this. I was so excited for a book to be out that's about police brutality in America towards black teenagers, and was surprised, to begin with, that something as serious as this was in a YA book, but also happy that it was being told to teenagers. It sounded like my ideal book. But I just couldn't get along with it at all. The whole idea with the book is to show what casual racism is doing to America, but at the same time on every few pages, there's another part talking about how horrible and funny and evil white people are. If a book wants to make a stand against racism, make a stand against it from both sides, not just one. You cannot end racism by calling the other race. I just found it really one-sided in its battle against racism. I am definitely not saying that the police shooting was right, let me just say that, and Starr has every right to hate the police for shooting her best friend. However, this does not mean that every few pages there needs to be a comment about how awful white people are. A much healthier focus for the book would have been equality, not switching the racism to the other side in a 'how-do-you-like-it-now' move.

Read the full review at https://ohbookit.blog

Kudos

Escape from Broadmoor: The Trials and Strangulations of John Thomas Straffen

Gordon Lowe

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Book

John Thomas Straffen - Britain's longest-serving prisoner - was the first patient to escape from...

Blackwater

James Henry

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Book

THE NEW ESSEX-BASED CRIME SERIES FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE DI JACK FROST PREQUELS. 'A...

Sue (5 KP) rated Murder at the Art Gallery (Pet Portraits Mystery, #1) in Books

Aug 13, 2018

Having kicked cancer to the curb, 60 something year old Georgie is ready to pursue her dream career of painting pet portraits. An opportunity opens up at an art gallery that expressed interest in doing a show of her artwork and Georgie takes twin Aleta along for the ride. What they didn’t expect was a murder taken placing and dashing Georgie’s hopes of having a gallery opening. Can Georgie and Aleta find the murderer before they become the next victims?

Georgie is the flirty, bold, and living life to the fullest twin. In contrast, accountant Aleta is more reserved and tries to keep Georgie balanced. It is the combination of their relationship and the hijinks they get themselves into that will keep you reading until the very last page.

This is a cozy mystery at its finest! With fun-loving amateur sleuths, a cast of characters including an ex-husband who is a police detective, and loads of mystery & some comic relief, like me you will want to immediately get the next book in the series.

Kudos

Mad City III LA Undecrover

Games and Entertainment

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App

It's time to conquer a larger city and show yourself in all its glory. To become famous, you will...

Death by Water (Oslo Crime Files 2)

Torkil Damhaug and Robert Ferguson

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Book

The second novel in the Oslo Crime Files, a tense and dark quartet of thrillers for fans of Camilla...

Awix (3310 KP) rated The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) in Movies

May 10, 2020

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

1999 | Action, Drama, Mystery

6.7

(9 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Romantic thriller remake. A daring robbery from a New York museum leads the police and an insurance investigator to suspect insanely wealthy and clever tycoon Thomas Crown, but can the investigator keep her mind on the job when the sparks start a-fizzing between her and the suspect?

The world is made up of people who prefer the Steve McQueen version and those who like this one (and I suppose there are conceivably a few folk who've seen neither): I am in the Brosnan camp, although this film does kind of miss the point that Crown only steals for the fun of it in the original (Brosnan's character clearly appreciates art). Much more of a romantic drama than an actual thriller, but well played and engaging, and the set pieces, when they eventually come, are clever and well-staged. As a chance for Brosnan (then at the apogee of his Bond success) to show his range, it's a qualified success (Crown is another suave, high-living thrill seeker with possible commitment issues), but as a piece of entertainment it does the job.