Two of the most significant themes in Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give novels, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore and Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance III were about the power of choice and the importance of perception. These two themes are clearly merged and go hand in hand throughout each book. The importance of these themes is manifested in the fact that a person's choices can be affected by their perception of a specific situation. Their perception can even be affected by the decisions made around them. It is clear, however, that the two themes of choice and perception are undoubtedly linked, both having the power to massively affect people; even the lives of those around them. One of the most notable examples of the persistence of these themes is that perception can completely affect the choices one makes, thus shaping their reality in the world they see. In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates, Wes Moore states: “[Bernard] spent most of his time searching for himself in the bottom of liquor bottles. Mary found herself with two alcoholic, abusive men who shared the DNA of two of her children, but without a husband or father for her boys” (Moore 23). Other Wes' father became an alcoholic and left Wes and his mother to fend for themselves. Wes's perception of his father's decision could easily have become that he deserved to be left alone like that. These factors may have resulted in his almost pathological need to support himself and his mother. This may have become a fairly direct cause of his arrest later in life. Similarly, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis states, “…I was the son of a man I barely knew and a woman I wished I didn’t know” (Vance 2 ). This quote shows that a child's perspective on their parents' decisions may be that they begin to wish they were not involved with their parents, causing a massive disconnect in their life and lack of a proper childhood . However, in this novel the author clearly takes a completely different path than the Other Wes Moore as he ends up wanting to make his house much safer to live in; more of a community. Clearly, a person's perception of the decisions made around them has a role to play in the choices they make and the way they decide to live their life. Likewise, a person's perspective on a specific situation can greatly affect the choices they make in the heat of the moment. moment, sometimes making these choices rash or ineffective. In The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates he is quoted: “…Shea was one of the most respected young hustlers on the block. He was a worker, we all knew that…” (Moore 80). This section makes it clear that sometimes quick decisions need to be made, even if they are bad. This highlights the fact that Shea was clearly involved in drug dealing and in an effort to obtain more money to support himself and his family, regardless of the cost of his lifestyle. Shea felt he had no choice but to sell drugs and so acted quickly and without thinking. Similarly, Starr in The Hate U Give says, “[Hailey] crosses her arms and does this little neck motion. 'Um, yeah? Isn't that what I said? The cop probably did everyone a favor [by shooting Khalil]. One less drug dealer on the… “I push Maya aside and slam my fist into the side of Hailey’s face” (Thomas 341). In this part of the book, Starr ends up suspended for fighting after Hailey. 2011.