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The New York Times bestselling authors Angie Thomas and Dhonielle Clayton have teamed up a second time to provide young readers with a tale of love and Black delight. In a recent interview, they discussed their new novel, “Whiteout,” their writing process together, and the effectiveness of the young adult category in addressing complicated issues.
Angie Thomas is an American young adult author, who was born on 20 September, 1988 and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. Her work in middle grade and young adult novels is well known. Her debut young-adult book, “The Hate U Give,” and her second, “On the Come Up,” both of which were published on February 25, 2019, are important works of literature.
She was raised in a low-income African American area where she first encountered gun violence. When Thomas was a teenager, she performed rap songs because she was interested in hip-hop as a means of expression. Thomas resides in Atlanta, Georgia, at the moment.
Thomas completed a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University. She composed a brief story at Belhaven in a Joe Maxwell class, which subsequently evolved into her debut novel. Thomas was home educated for a portion of her high school years even though she received academic distinctions in her schools. She was a rapper when she was younger, and she gave radio and newspaper interviews in addition to a few performances. At the age of nine, she started rapping. Her mother served as her boss. In 2003, she was also highlighted in an article by RightOn Magazine. Young Short-A and Da Lil’ Lady Pimptress were a couple of the rap aliases she went by.
Thomas discusses her work 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.”
While she was writing the book, Thomas served as the Bishop’s assistant at New Horizon Church International in Jackson. Amandla Stenberg, who starred in the Hunger Games, was the star of the film adaptation of her book The Hate U Give. The film debuted on October 19, 2018. 13 nations have published The Hate U Give. The Bent Agency’s Brooks Sherman, who bought the book in February 2016, represents her. On March 9, 2017, The Hate U Give topped the New York Times bestselling list for Young Adult (YA) Hardcover novels. It had been on this bestselling list for 81 weeks as of September 21, 2018.
Recently in an interview about her collaborative book ’Whiteout’, Thomas stated,”Southerners can’t handle snow, but love is worth the risk. Ever wondered what sound a heart makes when it’s breaking? Don’t give up on love.”
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