Laguna Ninth Graders Interview Angie Thomas, Author of The Hate You Give (THUG)

On Wednesday, 12/12, Laguna ninth grade English students had the opportunity to conduct a Skype interview with Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give. Her novel, which was made into a highly successful movie that premiered this past fall, centers on topics such as racism, discrimination, police brutality, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Last spring, the class kicked off the study when they took a trip to Fox Studios in Century City and attended an advanced screening of the film.

When English Instructor Ashley Tidey saw the passion and engagement her students shared around the book and film, she knew that she needed to make it a top priority for the quarter. "Two days into discussing the book with this year's ninth grade, I realized I needed to punt my entire Quarter 1 plan and turn things over to this book, its history, and the real-life events it points to," explains Ashley.

Yesterday's interview was the exciting culmination of this quarter one study.

"As the entire ninth grade class read The Hate U Give as a part of a summer reading assignment, we all quickly realized that this would be much more meaningful than any other book we had read before," says Frances Carlson '22. Laguna ninth grader Madeleine Nicks was equally moved by the experience. "Our Skype session with Angie Thomas was a true and honest culmination of the class's interests and the extent to which The Hate U Give opened all of our eyes," says Madeleine. "A group of ninth grade students worked tirelessly to vet all of the questions and get down to the heart of what we wanted to ask her. It was so amazing to not only see her in person, but to hear her answers. It was an unmatchable experience and one I know none of us will ever forget."
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