On The Come Up
by Angie Thomas
Published by Balzer & Bray
on February 5, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
Length: 464 pages
Recommended Ages: 14-17
Recommended Ages: 14-17
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri's got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri's life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it--she has to make it.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas's homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be, and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.
My Thoughts:
Bri wants nothing more than to become a famous rap artist and she has what it takes. Her father was a rapper named Lawless, who was taken from their lives in a driveby when she was just a little girl so she already has some fame on her side. But times are hard and it's not easy going to school, dealing with problems at home, and trying to win it big. Caught up in all sorts of drama, trouble, and hardships, Bri is determined to make her dreams happen even as her world threatens to crumble around her.
Going by the synopsis alone, this isn't really the book for me, BUT I read The Hate U Give and loved the author's writing enough to read this anyway. I wasn't disappointed. Like THUG, I loved the family dynamics, the character growth, and how real the story is.
I applaud Angie Thomas for writing about the difficult and very real stuff that teens live and deal with, sometimes daily; from poverty and broken families to addiction and crime.
It's important to have books that depict different aspects or ways of life, so everyone has a voice, something to relate to, or something to learn from.
This book didn't have quite the impact that THUG had on me but I still think it's just as important of a read!
Going by the synopsis alone, this isn't really the book for me, BUT I read The Hate U Give and loved the author's writing enough to read this anyway. I wasn't disappointed. Like THUG, I loved the family dynamics, the character growth, and how real the story is.
I applaud Angie Thomas for writing about the difficult and very real stuff that teens live and deal with, sometimes daily; from poverty and broken families to addiction and crime.
It's important to have books that depict different aspects or ways of life, so everyone has a voice, something to relate to, or something to learn from.
This book didn't have quite the impact that THUG had on me but I still think it's just as important of a read!
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