Hello friends! Today’s reviews are for Angie Thomas’s books. I first knew about the author when The Hate U Give became famous. I knew it was a well-loved book by every reviewer I followed. It took me a bit to pick up the book because of that. THUG blew me away so I decided I’ll have to read any and every Angie Thomas’s books from then on. Here I am, writing up three reviews. Hope you enjoy!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
💡 The Hate U Give | 🌹 Concrete Rose | 🎤 On the Come Up
💡💡💡
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Series: The Hate U Give #1
Published February 28th 2017 by Balzer + Bray
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Rep: Black MC, Black SCs, Asian SC
Rating:
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.
💡💡💡
trigger and content warnings:
- blood, cancer (referenced), child abuse/neglect (physical, detailed references), cheating (mentioned), domestic abuse (physical), death (graphic), drug use (implied), gun violence (graphic), institutional racism, murder, police brutality, racism
trigger and content warnings:
- blood, cancer (referenced), child abuse/neglect (physical, detailed references), cheating (mentioned), domestic abuse (physical), death (graphic), drug use (implied), gun violence (graphic), institutional racism, murder, police brutality, racism
The Hate U Give is a hard-hitting depiction of the systematic racism, police brutality, and blatant injustice faced by the Black community. Also, it’s about family, hope, voicing out, and oneself. This book was published in 2017 and yet, I still see the reflection of the current situation years later. Angie Thomas stunningly wrote conversations challenging preconceived notions and discussions about using one’s voice to create change.
“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.”
After witnessing her childhood best friend’s brutal murder at the hands of the police, Starr didn’t know what to do. Knowing the consequences all too well, keeping silent is the only way she could cope with the loss, trauma, and unknown. However, her quietness sent another message. If Starr doesn’t speak up, the truth behind Khalil’s murder wouldn’t be heard. Standing her ground by herself became tough, especially when her fears crept in. Watching her grow from being afraid to use her voice to speak up about what had happened showed her progress in coming to terms with everything.
“That’s why people are speaking out, huh? Because it won’t change if we don’t say something.”
“Exactly. We can’t be silent.”
“So I can’t be silent.”
Starr struggled between two versions of herself. One lives in Garden Heights where hearing gunshots are a normal occurrence and the other studies in a rich, white school. Both sides of her life never intertwined. It was heartbreaking to see her grapple with who she wants to be and how she wants to live her life.
What I got from The Hate U Give is honesty to oneself. Who you want to be with, what you want to say, which friends you want to hang out with, and how you want to live your life. Starr gradually comes to a realization as the story unfolds. She recognizes those true to her when things when downhill and who were the ones who left because they couldn’t handle tough conversations.
“Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared, Starr,” she says. “It means you go on even though you’re scared. And you’re doing that.”
Starr’s family has a special place in my heart. They are supportive, protective, and loyal to one another. They compromise whenever they have to. Starr’s parents, despite the past and their difference in opinions, work together for the betterment of their kids. Their love is adorable and sweet too. Seven, though young, has a mature mindset and is a protector.
Read The Hate U Give.
💡💡💡
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
💡 The Hate U Give | 🌹 Concrete Rose | 🎤 On the Come Up
🌹🌹🌹
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Series: The Hate U Give #0
Published January 12th 2021 by Balzer + Bray
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Rep: Black
Rating:
Synopsis:
If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.
🌹🌹🌹
trigger and content warnings:
- unplanned pregnancies, incarceration, gang violence, blood, murder, death of a loved one, drug abuse, grief, child abandonment
trigger and content warnings:
- unplanned pregnancies, incarceration, gang violence, blood, murder, death of a loved one, drug abuse, grief, child abandonment
Illustrating Maverick, a 17-year-old, unexpectedly thrown into fatherhood, Concrete Rose is imbued with topics of poverty and being in a gang. Suddenly, Maverick’s life isn’t just his own. With this as a prequel, readers get a glimpse of Maverick maturing under the pressure of taking care of his baby. Given a chance to provide for his family, Maverick takes it. When a loved one is brutally murdered, Maverick has to deal with his emotions and grief of losing someone with who he’s close despite knowing the danger of the streets.
From The Hate U Give, the relationship between Maverick and King was fascinating to read about. Concrete Rose provided an insight into their friendship when they were much younger, especially with Seven’s biological father being Maverick rather than King. Of course, Maverick’s relationship with Lisa is changed forever when she knew about Seven.
I look up at the night sky. It’s pitch black and yet that somehow make the stars shine brighter. Hundreds of lights in all that darkness.
Wait a second.
A light in the darkness.
I smile, and I look at Lisa. “I think I got a name.”
Life is weighing down on Maverick but he’s doing his best to become a great father and a better person. Having people around him who were willing to lift him was amazing. His mother unflinchingly stood beside him despite him making life-altering mistakes, Mr. Wyatt gave him an opportunity to provide for his family and Dre who got Maverick’s back no matter what.
Angie Thomas knows how to write hard-hitting stories. Ever since I had read The Hate U Give, I wanted Maverick’s story. I wanted to know how he got out of being in the gang, the dynamic between Lisa and Maverick when she found out about Seven, and the soured friendship with King. Comparing him in Concrete Rose and The Hate U Give, it felt like a whole other person. The scared teenager who owned up to his mistakes and would go through great lengths to make sure he doesn’t make any more crafted a man who looked out for others.
🌹🌹🌹
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
💡 The Hate U Give | 🌹 Concrete Rose | 🎤 On the Come Up
🎤🎤🎤
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Standalone
Published February 5th 2019 by Balzer + Bray
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Representation: Black
Rating:
Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it 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.
🎤🎤🎤
Bri has always wanted to be a rapper and she has the talent for it. A song of hers, On the Come Up, blew up online and received both good and bad attention. Throughout the book, Bri realized how important her words are, what she truly wanted to convey through her songs, and what really matters in life. Not only does she needs to live up to her father’s reputation as a legendary rapper, Bri struggles at home with bills piling up. Homelessness is just a step away if she doesn’t make it big.
Life is slowly crumbling down around Bri. Jay, her mother, is a recovering addict lost her job at the church and while Trey, her brother, is a college graduate who has difficulty finding a higher paying job. Not only that, she was thrown to the ground, manhandled by the security in school without any reason. That sparked her song. The song that went viral. The song that was used for different narratives. Bri has a short fuse and gets defensive whenever someone pushes her buttons the wrong way. This landed her in some hot waters, causing her to be misunderstood by others.
With the attention from her first competition and her first rap, Bri placed immense pressure on herself to do well. She knew how much Trey and Jay worked to put food on the table, a shelter over their head. Meanwhile, she can’t do anything. Wanting to shield her from the bad things in life, her family often told Bri “not to worry about it” when she asked if anything is wrong. However, they did not notice the gradual toll it took on her and feeling like a burden.
thisbellereadstoo.wordpress.com 