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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
The teenager who won't listen to any of the advice they're given is a common theme to YA fiction. I really struggled with that in this book - probably a side effect of our current reality, but that's why I gave it a 3. It was otherwise compelling.
Nog véél beter dan haar vorige boek. Het blijft tot de laatste bladzijde telkens vernieuwend en boeiend.
I really like Angie Thomas’ writing. And this YA book hit the right balance for my taste in having a cute coming of age story while also discussing hard topics and current events. I half read half listened to this one, but I’m so glad I got to hear it when she rapped; loved her verses.
I really loved this book. It gave me a glimpse into a world I know little about. This book addresses a lot of topics that need to be talked about. I learned a lot and opened my eyes to some issues in our country I did not know much about but I want to know and understand more.
i really liked this. it takes place in the same city around the same time as the hate u give. i honestly like the characters a little better in this one and i think their stories are all so interesting
Bri lives in Garden Heights but is bused to an integrated high school. She lives with her mom and her brother. Her dad, once an up-and-coming rapper, was killed in gang violence when Bri was very young. Her mother was a drug addict, and Bri lived with her grandparents for a while, but now her mom has been clean for 8 years. They have some financial struggles paying the rent and the bills, made even worse when Bri's mom Jay loses her job at a church. Bri herself is a talented rapper, and wants her own come up so she can provide for her family. She has an epic win at a local rap battle, records a single that goes viral, and her father's former agent offers to rep her. She could become famous, but she can't be true to herself if she raps the way the record company wants her to. She turns them down, but in the end we're teased that a famous rapper wants to do a duet with her, so maybe she'll be famous after all. There's also protests against police violence and how the kids of color are treated by security guards at Bri's integrated public school, and Bri has a side story romance with a classmate.
I listened to this on audio, and the narration was great. I've read books by black authors and black protagonists before, but never from the voice of a teenage girl growing up in the inner city. It feels authentic, but I have no idea -- I hope it is! I love that there are so many different voices in YA now, I hope it helps people become more empathetic. Also, I really love how the author, who was once a teen rapper herself, talks through Bri's development of raps and rhymes in her head. Also really love her growing relationship and trust in her mom.
I listened to this on audio, and the narration was great. I've read books by black authors and black protagonists before, but never from the voice of a teenage girl growing up in the inner city. It feels authentic, but I have no idea -- I hope it is! I love that there are so many different voices in YA now, I hope it helps people become more empathetic. Also, I really love how the author, who was once a teen rapper herself, talks through Bri's development of raps and rhymes in her head. Also really love her growing relationship and trust in her mom.
Ultimately, for me anyways, On The Come Up isn’t about becoming famous. It’s about growing up. Maturing. Deciding what kind of person you are going to be when you’ve been dealt a ridiculously hard hand. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book in the beginning. The main character wasn’t who I hoped she would be. Dumb me. Of course she isn’t who I want her to be. She is a teenage girl growing up with the odds stacked against her. Of course she’s angry, desperate, defensive. Who am I to judge what kind of person she “should” be? Watching her struggling with very serious issues as she is misunderstood and misrepresented felt so authentic and heart wrenching that I was completely won over. I felt like a proud mother watching her come up, grow up.
Beautiful masterpiece of real life , poverty , overcoming addiction, making it in the hood , and trying to make it in the rap world for “ the come up “ . A must read !!