On April 2, 2018, twenty faculty and staff from all divisions met to discuss this year's Read Across Rhode Island selection, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. The RARI website describes the book as, "A brave, thought-provoking , conversation-enabling novel about what prejudice looks like in the 21st century. Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she was born and raised and her private high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend". The book provided for deep conversations, especially considering the news coverage of the most recent police shootings of unarmed African American boys and men. Another discussion focused on our students here at Wheeler and Hamilton who have to negotiate two distinct worlds : home and school. Many participants expressed an interest in joining future book discussions of the Read Across Rhode Island books and possibly other books that focus on similar topics. Check out this read-alikes list compiled by Kate Covintree
Tickets for Angie Thomas' visit to RI are sold out but you can live stream the event on April 12 at 11pm -12pm.
This video from HarperTeen gives a little background about her life and what inspired her to write this book.
