“What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”

God damn, this is probably the most powerful, relevant book I have ever read. This story follows a young girl named Starr who witnesses one of her closest friends get shot and killed by the police. This book is very important and is sadly a very real representation of what is happening in America today. This book is worth reading not only because it is so fucking relevant right now, but because it will open so many peoples eyes to the real experiences people are having with police and the prejudice that still exists in America today.

Aside from the incredibly important political message this book has, this book is also full of amazing well-developed characters. I love Starr's character and how she discovers using her voice is the most important thing she can do. I love Starr's parents, the way she always describes them as her OTP, they were too cute! I also love Starr's complicated relationships with her friends. I love that she talks about how she used to be a fan of the Jonas Brothers because same, and it made her every more relatable. I also loved Starr's white boyfriend Chris and how their obsession is Fresh Prince of Bel Air, it was so cute.

This book does a really great job at pointing out the way some people can be so subtly racist sometimes and not even realize they are doing it. In particular Starr's friend Hailey, I couldn't believe some of the things she had to say - and it's sad because I do know people like that in real life. Every situation these characters are put in are things I've seen happen in real life, and it's fucking tragic honestly. I couldn't have said it better than how Emily May says it in her review: "I could tell you that it rips unapolegetically into a subject that needed to be ripped into - the shootings of unarmed black people by police officers, as well as racial bias in the justice system. I could tell you that it opened my eyes to aspects of white privilege I never considered."

This book is definitely a must read for 2017, and it's so fucking important and educational about the terrible police brutality happening in our country, and it's important to get an inside perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement. Also, this is the 100th book I've read this year and I'm so happy that it's this book! I'm happy the 100th book I read this year was a fucking amazing one.