On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
I read Angie Thomas’ book “The Hate U Give” last year with my book club.
To say it was a powerful novel by an outstanding author is an understatement.
I could say the exact same thing about this book:
Here is the summary:
“This is the highly anticipated second novel by Angie Thomas, the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning The Hate U Give.
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—she has 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.”
Racial profiling.
Poverty.
Violence.
Hip hop.
Family dynamics.
Teen romance.
Friendships.
Discovering who you are.
White supremacy.
Racial injustice.
Struggles.
Success.
Those are just some of the topics discussed and displayed in this book.
Angie Thomas is seriously a tremendously talented author in how she tackles so many real life issues in a fictional setting.
Even though the story, setting and characters are made up, all of what she writes is based on real life…real people…real human experiences…and the things in her books happen and are lived out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
I have always loved hip hop…I have listened to it since I was a preteen.
But until a few years ago—when I was challenged by a black friend— I did not understand what hip hop was truly about.
My friend told me that if I was gonna be a hip hop fan I better know the history behind it…I better understand what those lyrics are really about…I better listen to why hip hop is significant and important to black culture and community….
because if I don’t, I’m just another white person appropriating a culture that does not belong to me.
So I researched.
I watched documentaries.
I read articles.
I listened to interviews.
And it opened my eyes to another level.
My understanding of the importance and significance of the art of hip hop grew in ways I never took the time to learn before.
(I could explain all that I learned to you but really you should take the time to go learn yourself…if you’re a white hip hop fan, you TRULY need to do that and reasses WHY you are listening to it)
This book was set in the same neighborhood as “The Hate U Give” and while the characters are not directly connected, the story shows how what happens in communities connect and impact everyone there.
It also shows how the same situation looks differently thru another perspective.
You will feel so many emotions reading this book as you listen to Bri’s story as well as the stories of the people who surround her…
it will open your eyes, touch your heart, make you uncomfortable, make you laugh and will also infuriate you at the injustices that exist in our society, schools, and government.
Exactly like hip hop does.
Definitely recommend this read.