The YA love letter to hip-hop—streaming on Paramount+ September 23, 2022! Starring Sanaa Lathan (in her directorial debut), Jamila C. Gray, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Method Man, Mike Epps, GaTa (Davionte Ganter), Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Titus Makin Jr., and Michael Anthony Cooper Jr.
#1 New York Times bestseller · Seven starred reviews · Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
The digital edition contains a letter from the author, deleted scenes, a picture of the author as a teen rapper, an annotated playlist, Angie’s top 5 MCs, an annotated rap, illustrated quotes from the book, and an excerpt from Concrete Rose, Angie's return to Garden Heights.
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.
Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn’t just want to make it—shehas to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.
Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.
“For all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri.”—The New York Times Book Review
Plus don't miss Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas's powerful prequel to her phenomenal bestseller, The Hate U Give!
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**My thoughts**
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas's second novel, a sort of sequel to The Hate U Give. I say sort of sequel because it is works as a standalone. The characters do not know each other. But Bri lives in the same neighborhood as Starr and does refer to the incidents of that story.
Bri wants to be a rapper. Her father was a locally famous rapper and she seems to have inherited his talent. But she also wants to forge her own path and not only be known as "L'il Law." She does battle and shows she can hold her own. But it's a racist profiling and takedown at her school that thrusts her into the limelight, especially when she uses it to her advantage.
Bri is part of a group of kids who are bused in to one of the nicer districts. It's a great program. I live in the area that was first in the country to do this urban-suburban type program and have former students who went through it. Bri's struggles, and those of her friends who also get bussed in, are rewal. It may not always show up as strongly as in this book, but the profiling and microaggressions do. I hope people realize this more and can work toward better solutions.
This is also a story about the rapping world. I fully admit that the bulk of my knowledge of battles come from watching Eminem in 8 Mile. As her career advances and people start to shower praise and expectations on her, it also becomes a story of finding yourself and staying true to yourself as you share your message. And that's another good theme for people to ponder.
The sophomore novel is always the most difficult one to write. But this story is strong and shows that Angie Thomas is here to stay, even beyond THUG. I know there is one more book in this world and I look forward to reading it.
Related Posts:
Book 1: The Hate U Give
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