Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is an award-winning, bestselling American author of contemporary YA fiction. Her works include Hate List, Bitter End, Torn Away, Thunderhead, and Watch Us Rise. She is the well-known author of the highly successful thriller,The Hate U Give, which was later made into a major motion picture.

Brown was born and raised in Oklahoma, where she received her undergraduate degree in English from Oklahoma State University. She then went on to receive a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Oklahoma.

Brown began her career as a teacher, teaching creative writing in Oklahoma public schools. During this time, she distinguished herself as a creative writing teacher, author of articles and short stories, and later a contributing writer at Seventeen Magazine.

Originally a Historical Fiction writer, it wasn’t until 2009 that she published her first contemporary YA novel, Hate List. The novel was a great success and was a National Book Award finalist that same year. Since then, she has written several YA titles, including the award-winning novel Bitter End, as well as the acclaimed The Hate U Give, which was released in 2014 and later adapted into a major motion picture released in 2018.

The Hate U Give focuses on Starr Carter as she navigates the two worlds of her life: the poverty-stricken neighborhood she grew up in, and the white prep school to which she escaped. When Starr witnessses a police officer shooting her childhood friend, her perspective of the world is altered and the book deals with societal racism and police brutality in a unique, eye-opening way. The Hate U Give is an important book that is being pointed to as a must-read in YA literature due to its powerful message. For this work, Brown was awarded the Angie Thomas Award for Young Adult Fiction and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award for Excellence in Young Adult fiction

Brown’s other works include Torn Away, which tells the story of Joy as she witnesses her parents getting murdered in her own home; Thunderhead, a sequel to The Hate U Give; and Watch Us Rise, a collaborative effort between Brown and fellow YA author, Ivy Agricola, that focuses on two young women who are determined to make their voices heard in their conservative high school.

In addition to her career as an author, Brown is an active member in the literary community. She is active on social media, writing articles and being featured in interviews, and she is highly active among the writing and bookish community.Jennifer Brown is a great role model to aspiring authors and her works are must reads for fans of YA literature. Her books are engaging, thought-provoking, and important contributions to the world of contemporary YA fiction.