Novelist who rose to worldwide acclaim for her young adult novel The Hate U Give, which earned the #1 spot on the New York Times' best sellers list in February 2017. Following her books' success, it was optioned for a film by Fox.
She earned her BFA from Belhaven University in creative writing. She became the first black student ever to graduate from Belhaven with that degree.
She was profiled by Salon Magazine, NPR, and The Atlantic following the successful debut of her novel The Hate U Give. She was nominated for the NAACP's Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Youth / Teens in 2017.
Her mother introduced her to books at age 6, which inspired her interest in writing.
She cited Tupac Shakur as an inspiration for writing her novel The Hate U Give.
