Free Copies of The Hate U Give Available in Anticipation of Angie Thomas MHC Keynote Speech

By Nishat Sanjida

English majors, graduate students and faculty can receive a free copy of The Hate U Give from the Rose Hill And Lincoln Center English Department Offices in anticipation of the Mary Higgins Clark Keynote speech by Angie Thomas to be given on October 7 via Zoom.

Angie Thomas

In this talk, Angie Thomas will trace the development of her captivating debut, The Hate U Give (2017)—and in so doing, speak to the heart of race, activism, and social change in America today. A current FCRH student, double majoring in Humanitarian Studies and Middle East Studies and minoring in Peace and Justice Studies says she is looking forward to “a conversation about the writer’s thought process when writing the novel and how hard it was to write some of the difficult scenes.” The student says she is excited to learn about “the way in which the book turned film has impacted dialogue about the Black experience in America.” As a Black woman navigating this country and a student participating in campus clubs centered around Black student voices, she looks up to Thomas. Through the books she has written, Angie Thomas gives her Black readers a safe space and a voice.

Thomas was born, raised, and currently lives in Jackson, Mississippi and has a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Belhaven University. The Hate U Give is her debut novel and began as her senior project in college. After reaching the top of the New York Times bestseller list and winning several awards, The Hate U Give was also adapted into a film starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman Jr. in September 2018. Her subsequent books, On the Come Up (2019) and Concrete Rose (2021) both debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. She has also published a book to help aspiring writers titled, Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal to Writing Your Truth (2019).

During this zoom session, she will be discussing race, activism, and social change and how it is reflected in her art. She believes it is important to see young Black people, especially young Black girls, in written works in situations other than ones that focus on their trauma. It is important to include Black girls because they are often left out of the conversation when their narrative is crucial to listen to as well. Angie Thomas wants to turn political matters into a personal story to inspire real change. She wants her audience to have empathy for the Black community and not just limit it to sympathy. Fiction that is reflective of current events to show how common these injustices are provides that tool for empathy.