Angie Thomas was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in hip-hop. She is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant 2015, which We Need Diverse Books awarded.
Her award-winning, acclaimed debut novel, “The Hate U Give,” is a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and major motion picture from Fox 2000, starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman Jr. Her second novel, “On the Come Up,” is a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller. Paramount has optioned film rights, with George Tillman Jr. attached to direct and Thomas set to produce.
