Conversation with Angie Thomas about her new book On the Come Up

BY: SHAUNA-KAY CASSELL

Writers at the Rose, the newest addition to the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) held their reading series on Monday, February 25^th, 2019, at the Rose Theatre in Brampton, in partnership with The Rose Theatre and the Brampton Library. The featured writer, and a New York best-selling author, Angie Thomas, gave an interview about her second book, On the Come Up, with Amanda Parris.

Angie confidently proceeded to the stage with cell phone in hand, along with a big bright smile that placed her audience at ease. She lifted her cell phone towards the audience and requested their permission to send a tweet. Upon Angie’s prompts; her audience of approximately 450, majority young adults, waved as Angie panned the room with her cell phone camera. In that instant, she had made a connection with her audience.

“When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a rapper” began Angie in mini outbursts of laughter, as she responded to a question from Amanda, a fellow writer. “It seemed like a way to help my family out of poverty,” says 31-year-old Angie. This was the inspiration for the book, On the Come Up. It is a story about a 16-year-old Bri, who is obsessed with hip-hop and wants to make it as a rapper. Bri had to fight for her dreams and had to go through her own obstacles. In essence, Bri’s story is a representation of the challenges that young black people face, especially when they come to learn about the various encroachments on their freedom of speech. “You have a voice, use it,” expressed Angie matter-of-factly. “There was an attempt to ban the book in certain states due to censorship, often like what happens to rappers. Society critics how young people says things” commented Angie.

Angie had a cascade of things to say, and for good reasons. At 6-years-old, she recounted seeing her first shootout. The book, The Hate U Give (THUG) which was published in 2017, and selling more than 2 million copies, was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. The main character, Starr, witnessed her friend Khalil being shot by the police and in turn wanted to do something about it, through activism. In many respects the main characters in both books have similarities. “…They’re similar in the fact that they are both powerful young women who know they have voices, and they both understand how they can use those voices to affect an entire generation,” expressed Angie.

Angie was not censoring her words. She openly shed light on black issues by using the characters of her books. “We don’t talk about the after the fact,” says Angie, in reference to mental health challenges that come after violence in communities, like Garden Heights, where the story takes place. “Bri’s mother turned to drugs because it was about mental health.” But Bri found hip-hop. “Hip hop is a craft for people who have been through so much trauma,” mentioned Angie.

No doubt, this young woman, and extraordinary writer has come at a time when we needed her to use her craft to speak to our society. Angie is the activist in her own reality, in her own way advocating for young adults. “I love when young people say ‘thank you for your book,’ it’s the first time that I saw myself in a book” expressed Angie, feeling humbled and honored by her own journey. “I want black girls to know that you’re enough, just the way you are. Black girls, it’s okay to be angry. You can be frustrated, and passionate. Be your true authentic self,” says Angie in closing. 

Evidently, the conversation between Angie Thomas and Amanda Parris struck a nerve. The audience rushed out the doors to get their hands on copies of her books, which were on display at the Rose Theatre.

Indeed, Writers at The Rose was a successful reading series. It was a privilege to listen in on the conversation between two talented young writers, Angie Thomas and Amanda Parris discussing relevant issues affecting the young black population. Copies of the books are available at Indigo bookstores or can be purchased online at amazon.ca.