SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD STARR CARTER moves between two worlds: the poor black neighborhood where she
lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds
is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at
the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward Khalil's death is a national
headline. Some are calling him a thug maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Starr's best
friend at school suggests he may have had it coming. When it becomes clear the police have
little interest in investigating the incident protesters take to the streets and Starr's
neighborhood becomes a war zone. What everyone wants to know is: What really went down that
night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does?or does
not?say could destroy her community. It could also endanger her life. Angie Thomas's searing
debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circum-stances addresses issues of racism and
police violence with intelligence heart and un-flinching honesty. This collector's edition of
the acclaimed award-winning novel contains a letter from the author the meanings behind the
names a map of Garden Heights fan art the full original story that inspired the book and
an excerpt from On the Come Up.
