American - Author | -
I think, as a writer, sometimes you do worry, 'Am I just writing, or am I putting the burden of African-Americans on my shoulder and carrying it?' But if we just write the stories that we're supposed to write, that's when we have the biggest impact.
Angie Thomas
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We see organizations that target young black men to give them direction in life, but so often, black girls are missed. I wanted to represent them.
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When I was in college, I lived in a mostly black, poor neighborhood. That's where I grew up, but I attended a mostly white upper-class school in conservative Mississippi. I was often very aware of how I presented myself.
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I think that the more of us who take the time to understand how someone else is feeling, the more likely we are to resist alongside them.
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In the YA community, we are fighting for you and alongside you. When you make your voice heard, we're gonna be even louder on your behalf. That's definitely what I would like for teenagers to know. We've got you. We got you. I promise we do.
CommunityVoiceFightingYouKnow
Bent Literary Agency had a Q&A on Twitter, and I took a chance and asked if the Black Lives Matter movement was an appropriate topic for a YA novel. Brooks Sherman, who is now my agent, responded that he didn't think any topics were inappropriate for YA. I remember being so terrified even just sending the tweet.
ChanceBlackThinkRememberMatter
The way you speak should not determine your intelligence. I should be able to say 'lit,' and you still know I'm intelligent. I should be able to say 'turn up,' and that doesn't take away from my intelligence. I wanted to break down that stereotype a little bit.
IntelligenceSpeakYouDownKnow
Of course, my mom is my biggest and loudest cheerleader, and my family and friends are happy for me, but I'm still just Angie, not Angie-the-author-with-this-hyped-up-book. I appreciate that.
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I really do hope 'The Hate U Give' provides mirrors for readers who don't often get them in books. I've had so many young black girls tell me just how thrilled they are to see someone who looks like them on the cover. I hope that they see themselves in the pages as well.
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Representation makes a difference.
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YA does a fantastic job of being socially aware and, at the same time, entertaining.
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I wanted to write a book like a rapper would write it - I didn't want to hold back. Rappers catch a lot of slack; I'm not going to be cursing up a storm, but when I look at Nas... his first album is one of my favorites. I want to tell stories like that.
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