Positive Feedback for The Hate U Give

The new film, The Hate U Give, comes out today, October 5th. The movie is adapted from Angie Thomas’s novel, which has been in the New York Times bestsellers list for young adult novels for 83 weeks now. The novel and film tackle complicated subjects of racism and police brutality for a young adult audience. The novel has been praised for its compelling characters and accurate portrayal of the modern black experience. The film, it seems, continues these same strengths. The LA Times praises Amandla Stenberg for her strong performance as the lead. The film has a critics score of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Expert reviews have been positive, and the press surrounding the release has been significant.

Now, this weekend will show if the film resonates as much with the public as it did with the critics. While the novel has been a popular read among audiences for well over a year, only time will tell if the movie adaptation is as successful. We have seen success with movie adaptations of novels already this year, including BlacKkKlansman and Crazy Rich Asians. Whether or not The Hate U Give lands with the young adult audience it has been made for is still to be seen. I am hopeful that because of the success of the book and the praise for Stenberg, this film will be able to continue the conversation that the novel opened.