Angie Thomas

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. ”

I think the more we see more officers holding each other accountable, the more we will see people trust cops in this country. ”

I knew there were calls for diversity in children's lit, but you always wonder as a person of color, how diverse is too diverse? ”

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. ”

When I was in the YA age range myself, I didn't feel like there were a lot of books for me. ”

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. ”

The transition from unknown to known-in-publishing has been empowering but also challenging. It's an honor to know that people actually want to know what I think about certain issues, but I also have to be careful about what I say or, rather, how I say it. The Internet is forever, y'all. ”

YA does a fantastic job of being socially aware and, at the same time, entertaining. ”

I've always been a huge Tupac fan, and I often listen to him for inspiration or when I'm stuck. ”

You just have to find your activism, and don't let anyone tell you what that should look like. If you're doing the work, and you're getting someone to think, you're on the right path. ”