Her first novel, The Hate U Give, was a #1 New York Times Best Seller, reaching the top of the best-seller list for Young Adult books just one week after it was published.
Her debut novel, The Hate U Give, was the subject of a heated auction involving thirteen different publishing houses, until HarperCollins imprint Balzer + Bray won the bidding and secured the rights.
Graduated from Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing.