128 Quotes by Angie Thomas

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

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

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.

We see organizations that target young black men to give them direction in life, but so often, black girls are missed. I wanted to represent them.

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

For me, hip-hop was a mirror when young-adult books were not. I could see myself in a Nas song more than I could see myself in a book.

When you say, 'Southern,' or you speak about a southern accent, there's always that drawl, and usually from white people. That's what people associate with the South. But we're all different. The black southern accent is different.

We're seeing young people find their own voices and find their activism.

I often say that I want to write like Tupac rapped. I could listen to his album, and within a few minutes, I could go from thinking deeply to laughing to crying to partying.