It showed the harm of stereotypes, whether or not people live up to them, as Bri’s aunt did. Like The Hate U Give, Angie’s sophomore novel made me stop and think about the world we live in. Understandably, her mother was afraid because that path Bri chose for herself got her father killed.

Bri was determined though to break out of that life and to make something for herself. Reading On the Come Up was a stark reminder of how much our privilege (or lack thereof) shapes our lives. Not only did they encompass her anger but her hopes and dreams for herself, her family, and her neighbourhood at large.īri lived at an intersection that I’m wholly unfamiliar with - a black girl raised in a poor single parent home. They artfully conveyed the hardships Bri dealt with due to racism, crime and poverty. They expressed what she felt in the very depths of her being. On the Come Up was so powerfully written, in part precisely because of Bri’s lyrics. However, hip hop isn’t generally on my radar, so I did go in with slightly tempered expectations. I knew that coming from Angie Thomas, this one would be a good book. On that front, I actually am a bit surprised.

In fact, it far surpassed more than a few of such books I’ve loved before. Exceeded All Expectationsīooks about music usually are full of heart and soul. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. And with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it – she has to. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the centre of controversy and portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. The award-winning author of The Hate U Give returns with a powerful story about hip hop, freedom of speech and fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you. classified as Contemporary, Music, Young Adult.This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Disclosure: I received a review copy of On the Come Up from Pansing Books, a regional distributor, in exchange for an honest review.

Book on the come up