Angela Thomas (born September 20, 1988) is an American young adult author, best known for writingThe Hate U Give (2017). Her second young adult novel,On the Come Up, was released on February 25, 2019. Her most recent novel,Concrete Rose, was released on January 12, 2021.
Thomas was subject to multiple instances of gun violence at a young age. She grew up near the home of assassinated civil rights activist,Medgar Evers, stating that her mother heard the gunshot that had killed him.[3] When she was 6 years old, Thomas witnessed a shootout between gangs.[4]
In an interview withThe Guardian, she recounted how her mother took her to the library the following day to show her that, "There was more to the world than what [Thomas] saw that day." This inspired her to take up writing.[5]
In her adolescence, Thomas shared her skills as a rapper, although her career in music was short-lived. She was, however, the subject of an article inRight On! magazine.[6][7] Thomas went on to obtain aBachelor of Fine Arts[8] fromBelhaven University.[9] She was the first Black teenager to graduate from her creative writing course.[9]
Thomas' initial intention was to write fantasy and middle grade novels; however, she was worried that her stories would not matter. While querying her first manuscript, she began another that would soon turn out to be her first novel,The Hate U Give.[10] While she was a college student, one of her professors suggested that her experiences were unique and that her writing could give a voice to those who had been silenced and whose stories had not been told.[3] During this time, Thomas also heard about theshooting of Oscar Grant on the news.[5] This story, compounded by the deaths ofTrayvon Martin,Tamir Rice,Michael Brown, andSandra Bland, was a major influence on the novel.[5]
Thomas citesTupac Shakur as inspiration for her writing. She has felt a wide range of emotions when listening to his music, and wanted to achieve a similar effect as a writer, saying, "I want to make you think at times; I want to make you laugh at times; I want to make you cry at times – so he was an influence in that way." Thomas understands that to mean, "that what society feeds into youth has a way of coming back and affecting us all."[11]
In an interview withThe Daily Telegraph, Thomas stated that she aims to "show truth and tear down stereotypes" in her writing, and further says that it is important for the white community to listen to the grievances of theBlack Lives Matter movement. After its publication,The Hate U Give was adapted into a2018 film of the same name byFox 2000, starringAmandla Stenberg.[9][6]
In an interview withPublishers Weekly, Thomas gives insight on her role as an activist: "I've always seen writing as a form of activism. If nothing else, books give us a glimpse into lives that we may not have known about before; they can promote empathy. There is the movement Black Lives Matter and the organization Black Lives Matter, and I respect what both are doing. I know [The Hate U Give] is an 'issue' book, but I didn't necessarily want it to be that way... I wanted to make something that is so political seem personal. While I wanted Khalil to represent these young men who lose their lives and are quickly labeled thugs, I wanted [the plot of the book] to be its own thing. I didn't want to disrespect anyone's family, anyone's memory."[12]
The Hate U Give, originally written as a short story, debuted at No. 1 on theNew York Times Best Seller list for young adult hardcover books within the first week of its release in 2017.[3]The Hate U Give was written, as Thomas says, to bring light to the controversial issue of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.[3] The book's plot follows a teenage girl, Starr Carter, and how her life is impacted by the death of her friend, Khalil, an unarmed black teen shot by a white police officer.The Hate U Give deals with the effect of police brutality on the communities of those around the victim.
In 2018, theKaty Independent School District inKaty, Texas, removed the book from its shelves after complaints over profanity,[13] and aSouth Carolina police union requested the book's removal from a school's summer reading list, because of what the union considered "almost an indoctrination of distrust of police."[14]
On the Come Up was released in February 2019. Thomas wrote the book so she could discuss the costs tolled on minorities and women when they do speak up.[15] The book tells the story of a teen rapper who becomes a viral sensation and the way that this distorts and changes who she is. It takes place in the same fictional universe asThe Hate U Give.
Concrete Rose is a prequel toThe Hate U Give and was released on January 12, 2021, in the US and the UK. The book tells the story of Starr's father Maverick Carter.[18]
She wrote the middle school novels,Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy (2023).[21][22] andNic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi (2025).
In 2015, Thomas receivedWe Need Diverse Books' Walter Grant,[23] which grants $2,000 to "unpublished authors or illustrators from diverse backgrounds working on children’s or young adult literature projects."[24]
Media related toAngie Thomas at Wikimedia Commons