The book, acquired in a 13-house auction by Balzar + Bray/Harper, was released in February of 2017 to great acclaim. Everyone from The Atlantic to NPR to The Guardian to Oprah has given it rave reviews and it's been on the New York Times Best Seller list for the past 16 weeks. Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses a childhood friend's death and is faced with the decision whether to stand up for her friend and her neighborhood or to play it safe and let his death go by unnoticed and without justice. Aimed at young adults, but immensely readable by adults as well, The Hate U Give is a hard hitting, no holds barred look at police violence, racial profiling, and standing up for what you believe in. There's a great interview with the author and a discussion guide here.
Angie Thomas was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University. Apart from her top-notch writing skills, Thomas is also a hip hop scholar and Harry Potter aficionado. She is currently working on her next novel and will be participating in the Mississippi Book Festival's Rising Stars in Young Adult panel in August.
The 17th Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held Saturday, September 2, 2017 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Mississippi Center for the Book Director Tracy Carr and MSCFB Assistant Director Ally Mellon will represent Mississippi at the Pavilion of the States.
