Contemporary Author Blog #1: Angie Thomas

 Angie Thomas: Former rapper turned inspirational writer and speaker

Emily Valenzuela

Angie Thomas

While black writer Angie Thomas is most formally recognized for her number one New York Times best selling novel, The Hate U Give, she also dabbles in various other forms of media- writing and producing films (of her own novels), standing on stages as an inspirational speaker, and advocating as a healthy gardener (1). While her bestselling book is one that will inspire youth for years to come, Thomas is a woman of many talents, and she is actively continuing to
inspire young, impressionable faces with the hopes of creating a more lively and empathetic upcoming generation.

Angie Thomas- Writer, Producer, Speaker

Angie Thomas was born on September 20, 1988 in Jackson, Mississippi. In the town she grew up in, she was exposed early-on to the struggles of a poor, black community. She claims that this was the reason she got into books, and she began her career writing her own songs (3). According to Thomas, luckily, this did not last long and she soon published her award winning novel, The Hate U Give, and there on, jumpstarted her writing career. Since her first novels appearance, she has since published several more, with books such as On the Come Up and Concrete Rose, which also topped the New York Times best-selling author charts. While her other books mainly revolved around real-world struggles and remained in the fiction genre, Thomas is now treading the waters of fantasy genres and catering to her middle school readers. However, she did not stop working on her novels after they were published- she has since adapted two of her books into films, and is currently working on a third. This time, Thomas will be writing and producing in the background. Her talent continues to show as she began to set time aside to stand on stage as an inspirational speaker, advocating for the rights of young, black individuals and speaking up and raising her voice for injustice. She also gardens in her free time, and appears in several gardening articles where she speaks on her love for plants and the importance of being eco-friendly (2). 

The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give Novel

The Hate U Give is a young adult book that rose to the top of New York Time's Best Seller's just one week after its publishing. The story follows a young woman, basketball player, and high-schooler named Starr. She lives in a poor, primarily black neighborhood and attends a wealthy, white high school with few other peers who look like herself. After she witnesses her best friend being shot in front of her in an act of racism, Starr begins to realize the effects of racism in her own life and around her in her community and begins to fight injustice. However, injustice fights back, and she must deal with life-endangering situations, mental health struggles, loved ones turning on her, and going through the high school experience on top of everything. Starr learns what real love, real people, real community, and real justice looks like in her everyday life.

Angie Thomas sold over 100,000 copies of this novel across its years since being published, and even adapted it into a film. Surprisingly, she admits that the title was heavily influenced by Tupac, as he was somebody that Thomas always looked up to in admiration. Thomas states in an interview that she made this novel in the eyes of a young 

woman in the hopes that society could open its eyes about the Black Lives Matter movement- the seriousness, the urgency, the terror that people of color feel living their lives day-to-day. She used Starr specifically because she thought if a character is portrayed as young and innocent, her point would be taken more seriously. Thomas's goal was to spread awareness and build empathy within young mind's, the minds that would soon grow to change the world as we know it. 

Book Review- The Rebelution

In a book review by The Rebelution, The Hate U Give is described as feeling as if it was written in our current day and age, even though it was published in 2017 (2).The author explains how circumstances seem the same now as they did back then, even though this novel is fiction. They explain Starr's character as 'trying to process heavy issues of race, identity, and injustice, while also grieving the loss of her friend'. They do preface this book with heavy racism, but necessary racism, for Thomas to fully get her point across about the severity of the situation. The author mentions the deep flaws of the criminal justice system, which can very well be applied to 2026 as well. They bring up how Christianity is mentioned throughout the story in a 'refreshing' way, rather than an 'evil' or 'preaching' way (2). All in all, the author continues to bring up the fact that Starr is discovering her voice throughout the whole story, and encourages others to do so along the way- including you.

Personal Reflection

As someone who read The Hate U Give countless times, I would strongly suggest anyone read it if they
got a chance. Thomas does an incredible job portraying the black experience and I think there is a perfect mix of comedy, love, relatability, and, of course, awareness being brought to racism and discrimination. Angie Thomas knows how to hook a reader into a story and keep them there throughout the entire journey with her use of relatableness, real-world problems, and just the right amount of comedic relief in between all of the hard-hitting struggles of life as a person of color. After not knowing much about the author of one of my favorite books and finally learning her backstory and what she does, I see her as a model figure and appreciate her book even more.

Works Cited

1) Evans, Dayna. "Talking With Angie Thomas, Author of the Best-selling YA Novel Inspired by Black Lives Matter". The Cut. 2017, Mar. 20, https://www.thecut.com/2017/03/angie-thomas-the-hate-u-give-interview-ya-novel.html

2) Smucker, Emily. "The Hate U Give (Book Review)". The Rebelution. 2021, Feb. 9, https://therebelution.com/blog/2021/02/the-hate-u-give-book-review/

3) Unknown. "Angie Thomas". Britannica. https://therebelution.com/blog/2021/02/the-hate-u-give-book-review/