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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
This was so good! I had very high expectations following The Hate U Give and this did not disappoint. I loved all of the characters, the incredibly necessary/relevant plot, and the overall message of this book. As I said in an earlier update, this author does a remarkable job of talking about tough topics without it feeling like a lecture. I very highly recommend this book for YA and adults alike.
âEven when they doubt you, even when they try to silence you, never be quiet. They can't stop you, so get your come up.â
âEven when they doubt you, even when they try to silence you, never be quiet. They can't stop you, so get your come up.â
While I never read The Hate You Give, I only saw the movie, I decided just to jump into her next book. I really enjoyed this book, and like her previous book it puts a teenager in the spotlight where she doesn't really want to be. I thought it put a light on social issues that even teenagers are having to deal with. I would love to hear her songs actually produced if there is ever a movie version of this book too! Highly recommended!!
Summary: Bri, a 16-year-old high school sophomore, wins her first rap battle, but that does not solve any of the problems at school or home.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’ second book, following the massive success of The Hate U Give. While it took me a little while to get into the book, I think On the Come Up is a better book. It works particularly well as an audiobook. The narration is well done, but the lyric sections of the songs and all of Bri’s internal rhyming makes the audiobook the more natural option for the book.
Bri is a 16-year-old. Her father was an up and coming rapper, who was killed when Bri was little. She remembers him more through the stories her family tells her than her personal memories. The tragedy of her father’s death was compounded by her mother’s depression that eventually led to a severe drug addiction. For years, Bri and her older brother lived with her grandparents, and her brother was her primary caregiver.
On the Come Up is a story of how hard work is not always enough. Bri’s mother kicked her drug habit, and after a long legal fight with her in-laws won custody of her children. She has worked hard as a preschool teacher while going to college part-time to be a social worker. Bri’s brother also did everything right. He graduated with honors from college, but the best job he can find in the area is at a pizza place. When Bri’s mother loses her job because of a lack of funding for the preschool, they move from struggling to desperate.
Compounding the problem, Bri is a student at an arts high school in Manhattan. The students from her neighborhood know they are there as diversity and they are also frequently harassed by school security and teachers. Near the start of the book, Bri is violently taken down and handcuffed by school security, which also cascades into several events throughout the book.
I know that some do not like the language of intersectionality, but On the Come Up is an excellent example of it. The intersection of poverty, racism, sexism, trauma, lack of access to jobs and community support, etc., mean that these become exponential problems, not just the addition of issues. While there is language, violence, or discussion of violence, some romance, this is still a young adult book. Bri is presented as a teen, a child not yet grown, who is trying to make her way in the world but does not have the maturity to deal with the issues she is forced to confront.
As a whole, On the Come Up was a more satisfying book to me than The Hate U Give, not because of the result of the story, but because of the cohesiveness of the relationships. These were real, albeit flawed, people. Children were not able to solve problems that adults were unable to solve as so many young adult books illustrate. And the reality of systemic and individualized discrimination is well presented, not as an excuse for bad decisions, but as an illustration that discrimination removes the access to options.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’ second book, following the massive success of The Hate U Give. While it took me a little while to get into the book, I think On the Come Up is a better book. It works particularly well as an audiobook. The narration is well done, but the lyric sections of the songs and all of Bri’s internal rhyming makes the audiobook the more natural option for the book.
Bri is a 16-year-old. Her father was an up and coming rapper, who was killed when Bri was little. She remembers him more through the stories her family tells her than her personal memories. The tragedy of her father’s death was compounded by her mother’s depression that eventually led to a severe drug addiction. For years, Bri and her older brother lived with her grandparents, and her brother was her primary caregiver.
On the Come Up is a story of how hard work is not always enough. Bri’s mother kicked her drug habit, and after a long legal fight with her in-laws won custody of her children. She has worked hard as a preschool teacher while going to college part-time to be a social worker. Bri’s brother also did everything right. He graduated with honors from college, but the best job he can find in the area is at a pizza place. When Bri’s mother loses her job because of a lack of funding for the preschool, they move from struggling to desperate.
Compounding the problem, Bri is a student at an arts high school in Manhattan. The students from her neighborhood know they are there as diversity and they are also frequently harassed by school security and teachers. Near the start of the book, Bri is violently taken down and handcuffed by school security, which also cascades into several events throughout the book.
I know that some do not like the language of intersectionality, but On the Come Up is an excellent example of it. The intersection of poverty, racism, sexism, trauma, lack of access to jobs and community support, etc., mean that these become exponential problems, not just the addition of issues. While there is language, violence, or discussion of violence, some romance, this is still a young adult book. Bri is presented as a teen, a child not yet grown, who is trying to make her way in the world but does not have the maturity to deal with the issues she is forced to confront.
As a whole, On the Come Up was a more satisfying book to me than The Hate U Give, not because of the result of the story, but because of the cohesiveness of the relationships. These were real, albeit flawed, people. Children were not able to solve problems that adults were unable to solve as so many young adult books illustrate. And the reality of systemic and individualized discrimination is well presented, not as an excuse for bad decisions, but as an illustration that discrimination removes the access to options.
Main point here: listen to the audiobook instead of physically reading this book! If you think you can't listen to audiobooks, think again. This narrator was phenomenal and really brought the story to life. I can't imagine reading this any other way. I realized reading this that audiobooks are great for listening to stories written by or about groups of people different from yourself because they allow you to fully immerse in the story in a way your personal voice would be unable to accomplish. For instance, reading this book physically would mean that my internal monologue is reading the story like a White person, when really I should be hearing it through a Black narrator's voice to gain a deeper understanding of the character, who is Black, and her experiences.
Aside from my praise of the audiobook, this story was just fantastic. I thought the author was able to tackle a plethora of issues in a way that wove together perfectly. It wasn't sloppy at all, as I would fear with so many topics addressed. The main character was great, and I loved her geekiness and quips about Star Wars and SciFi throughout. The side characters were also interesting and added a lot of depth to the novel with the little spotlight they were given. The friendships and strength found in the family dynamic really stood out to me and I love books that can give me a strong sense of family like that.
Aside from my praise of the audiobook, this story was just fantastic. I thought the author was able to tackle a plethora of issues in a way that wove together perfectly. It wasn't sloppy at all, as I would fear with so many topics addressed. The main character was great, and I loved her geekiness and quips about Star Wars and SciFi throughout. The side characters were also interesting and added a lot of depth to the novel with the little spotlight they were given. The friendships and strength found in the family dynamic really stood out to me and I love books that can give me a strong sense of family like that.
*4.5 stars
Well she’s done it again guys, phenomenal is all I can say. Such realistic story with flawed characters, dysfunctional families and chasing dreams.
Well she’s done it again guys, phenomenal is all I can say. Such realistic story with flawed characters, dysfunctional families and chasing dreams.
Another exceptional book from Angie Thomas. I absolutely loved the journey that Bri took, even though I was shouting at her to make different decisions. She made the choices a girl her age would make. This is the type of YA I wish I could have been able to read when I was a teen.
This was a long one! But it didn’t take long for the story to come to life and it was well worth it. It was powerful, inspiring, and heartbreakingly real. It was different from anything I’ve ever read, and it made me see the world through different eyes. That right there is the reason why I read every single day: To get a new perspective, to see what others live through and experience. This book sure did it for me.
She did it again. For those of you wondering if Thomas could make magic happen twice after THUG was such a smash, wonder no longer. On The Come Up was everything I wanted it to be and more. Thomas brings us back into the world of Garden Heights and all the prejudice, racial discrimination, and gang violence that comes with it, as well as the families and friends who love one another through anything that comes their way. Lil’ Bit, Lil’ Lawless, Bri, Brianna: she goes by many names, but rap battler is what she wants to be and she kills it every time. My new literary Shero: Brianna Jackson! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #weneeddiversebooks
4.5 stars. Definitely listen to the audiobook for this one.