DETROIT (WWJ) - It's a real-life Cinderella story: a book by a first-time author not only becomes a New York Times bestseller, it also becomes a critically-acclaimed movie.
The first book from Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give, was released in February 2017. And now, two years later, with the release of her second book, history is primed to repeat itself. Thomas' second book, On The Come Up, went on sale February 5th, but before the book was even released, the movie rights had already been sold.
In 'On The Come Up', 16-year-old Bri, the daughter of an underground hip hop legend, is on a mission to make a name for herself by following in her father's footsteps. Just like in the book, Thomas also pursued a music career, albeit only briefly.
"Hip hop was a way to express myself when I was a teenager," Thomas told WWJ's Terri Lee. "I didn't see myself in books a lot; I saw myself in hip hop, and ... I had a situation where my mom lost her job unexpectedly and it sent my family into crisis mode, and the only people who I saw from neighborhoods like mine who were really making something of themselves were rappers, so I turned to hip hop as, hopefully, a way out."
Thomas says while her music career didn't get very far, she learned a lot along the way. She says she also looked to some of today's hottest female rappers, such as Nikki Minaj and Cardi B, for inspiration in writing the book.
"Especially of how they empower young women and how they speak their minds and they speak from their hearts, and they don't care about what other people think when they're speaking as long as they're being authentic to themselves," Thomas said. "And that's definitely something my character Brianna does; that's something she draws from them."
What does Thomas want readers to gain from her latest book?
"With 'The Hate U Give', I wanted people to find their voices, and with 'On The Come Up', I hope that they decide to make some noise. And what I mean by that is, I want them to speak up and speak out, even when it makes others uncomfortable, even when it may go against the status quo. I want them to use their voices in order to change things."
Seeing her very first book, 'The Hate U Give' turned into a movie, Thomas has accomplished something that most people only dream about, and she's done it not just once, but twice.
"It was surreal," Thomas said. "It was such a dream of mine, and to actually have it happen, I still can't believe it. I'm blown away by all of the love and support that 'The Hate U Give' has received and still receives, and I'm so grateful for that; I'm humbled, honestly, to know so many people connected with my words. And now, we're in the process of the new book becoming a movie as well, so it's a dream come true and it's shown me that anything is possible and I hope that it shows young people that anything really is possible."
There's much more to Thomas' story. To hear her complete conversation with Terri, you can listen to the podcast of Terri's interview. And to find out how Thomas was able to go from aspiring writer to published writer with all of the success that followed, fast forward to about 3:28.
Follow Terri on Twitter @TerriJLee
Member:Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA)Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS)African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)SAG-AFTRA
