What familial connections are there in the novel?

Just as community is an important part of The Hate U Give, family is central to the novel as well. The book offers a perspective on nontraditional families and the way these families provide support systems. For example, Starr’s family is atypical because Seven doesn’t live with the family; he has a different mother than Starr and Sekani. Nevertheless, Maverick and Lisa are able to support Seven in many different ways: they go to his graduation, convince him to go to college outside of the city, talk to him about the importance of not joining a gang, and watch out for him when he goes to the park the day after riots. However, the book explores dysfunctional families as well. King abuses Iesha and his children, and DeVante essentially sacrifices himself in order to remove King from the household, because Iesha is unable or unwilling to stand up to him.