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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
If you're looking to find The Hate U Give Part 2, you're looking in the wrong place. Different family, but same world. Bri is a young teenager looking to make a name for herself as a rapper. Her father was a rapper because he was murdered by a rival gang. Her mother was devastated by his death and turned to drugs for a little while. Her family isn't doing well to keep the lights on. As you can tell, there's a lot of stuff happening in Bri's life and she feels the need to help in some way. So she tries to make her rapping dreams come true.
First off, let me talk about Angie Thomas's writing style. This book reads like a teenager wrote it. Not to say that it's full of slang that you can't tell what's going on, but it's enough to make it relatable to many young people today. On top of that, it really brings the story together. The neighborhood Bri is from, the people in her life, these tiny mannerisms like they way they talk or carry themselves really brings these characters to life. I can picture what was going on very well and I could feel how Bri felt in all of her circumstances.
Which made it easy for me to see the slight "micro aggressions" Bri deals with everyday. Bri lives in a world where she's constantly underestimated. The first big incident in this book is watching Bri get thrown to the ground with a knee in her back. The security team at her school stops her "randomly" and she refused.
I loved her mom. Jay sacrificed a lot so that Bri and her brother, Trey, had a good education and didn't have to worry about money. She was also eight years sober from drug addiction, which says a lot about her mindset and how she wants to be there for her kids. She really was an amazing person and I wish she knew it. You can sense Bri gets a little tired by her mom, but she never says it and she never loses her patience. I think that also says a lot about her given that she flies off the handle quickly and gets angry.
When Bri records her first rap song, I was so happy for her. I don't know much about rap music, but I can imagine it being a great song with lyrics that really speak to the world Bri lives. The song alone is a huge metaphor for the rest of the book. I kept thinking to myself about how the world expects Bri to be this hardened criminal when she wasn't and putting herself in danger to perpetuate that persona to the world. It's so sad.
I felt like the big theme of this novel was prejudice. There's prejudice towards rap music. There's prejudice towards African Americans living in a certain area. There's prejudice about gangs and gang affiliation. I feel like Angie Thomas covered a lot of ground in this book and she did it in a way that really made sense.
I can relate a lot to the prejudice Bri faces. While I don't consider my life and hers a reflection of each other, I face prejudice a lot. People asking me how I learned how to speak English so well. People asking me when I moved to America. No one wants to believe that I grew up here, that I learned English the same way they learned English. They want to believe that I'm an immigrant and learned English by watching American TV.
The funny part about the prejudices in this book is that they were coming from everyone. Not only did certain white characters think Bri was a "hoodlum" or "ratchet," but certain Black characters wanted her to feed into that rumor for the sake of making money.
Playing with gangs and affiliating yourself with them are no joke, but it feels like it's the persona people want to see from Bri. Because she's a rapper from a father who quasi-associated with some neighborhood gangs, the only logical solution for her is to do the same? From what we've learned about Bri, it doesn't make sense. She's a good kid trying to make her dream come true and faced with the gangster rapper persona. It's disheartening and Bri saw right through that.
And throughout the novel, you get the sense that Bri is just your average teenager. She has a crush on a guy. She's studying for the ACT. She loves Star Wars, Black Panther, and eating junk food with her friends. She doesn't have a stable home life and she wants to help change that, but her mom wants her to have a good education and graduate from high school.
The ending was definitely a happy one for everyone and I'm glad of it. It all comes together pretty seamlessly and makes sense with the story. I would have hated if somehow Bri sold herself out for some money or got hurt or in trouble. I would have hated if she got everything she wanted within a short period of time. I loved that it ended the way it did. You can't stop her on the come up, nope nope!
First off, let me talk about Angie Thomas's writing style. This book reads like a teenager wrote it. Not to say that it's full of slang that you can't tell what's going on, but it's enough to make it relatable to many young people today. On top of that, it really brings the story together. The neighborhood Bri is from, the people in her life, these tiny mannerisms like they way they talk or carry themselves really brings these characters to life. I can picture what was going on very well and I could feel how Bri felt in all of her circumstances.
Which made it easy for me to see the slight "micro aggressions" Bri deals with everyday. Bri lives in a world where she's constantly underestimated. The first big incident in this book is watching Bri get thrown to the ground with a knee in her back. The security team at her school stops her "randomly" and she refused.
I loved her mom. Jay sacrificed a lot so that Bri and her brother, Trey, had a good education and didn't have to worry about money. She was also eight years sober from drug addiction, which says a lot about her mindset and how she wants to be there for her kids. She really was an amazing person and I wish she knew it. You can sense Bri gets a little tired by her mom, but she never says it and she never loses her patience. I think that also says a lot about her given that she flies off the handle quickly and gets angry.
When Bri records her first rap song, I was so happy for her. I don't know much about rap music, but I can imagine it being a great song with lyrics that really speak to the world Bri lives. The song alone is a huge metaphor for the rest of the book. I kept thinking to myself about how the world expects Bri to be this hardened criminal when she wasn't and putting herself in danger to perpetuate that persona to the world. It's so sad.
I felt like the big theme of this novel was prejudice. There's prejudice towards rap music. There's prejudice towards African Americans living in a certain area. There's prejudice about gangs and gang affiliation. I feel like Angie Thomas covered a lot of ground in this book and she did it in a way that really made sense.
I can relate a lot to the prejudice Bri faces. While I don't consider my life and hers a reflection of each other, I face prejudice a lot. People asking me how I learned how to speak English so well. People asking me when I moved to America. No one wants to believe that I grew up here, that I learned English the same way they learned English. They want to believe that I'm an immigrant and learned English by watching American TV.
The funny part about the prejudices in this book is that they were coming from everyone. Not only did certain white characters think Bri was a "hoodlum" or "ratchet," but certain Black characters wanted her to feed into that rumor for the sake of making money.
Playing with gangs and affiliating yourself with them are no joke, but it feels like it's the persona people want to see from Bri. Because she's a rapper from a father who quasi-associated with some neighborhood gangs, the only logical solution for her is to do the same? From what we've learned about Bri, it doesn't make sense. She's a good kid trying to make her dream come true and faced with the gangster rapper persona. It's disheartening and Bri saw right through that.
And throughout the novel, you get the sense that Bri is just your average teenager. She has a crush on a guy. She's studying for the ACT. She loves Star Wars, Black Panther, and eating junk food with her friends. She doesn't have a stable home life and she wants to help change that, but her mom wants her to have a good education and graduate from high school.
The ending was definitely a happy one for everyone and I'm glad of it. It all comes together pretty seamlessly and makes sense with the story. I would have hated if somehow Bri sold herself out for some money or got hurt or in trouble. I would have hated if she got everything she wanted within a short period of time. I loved that it ended the way it did. You can't stop her on the come up, nope nope!
The sequel to The Hate U Give is as powerful as the first. Angie Thomas was a teen rapper and you can tell she wrote this character from the heart—and the poetry of the lines Bri (Angie) raps is next to none. It’s another commentary on how society makes assumptions about black and brown kids and how systems are set up to make them fail. I especially appreciated how Bri makes comments either directly or in her internal dialogue about the sexism of hip-hop towards young girls like her. Her dreams are just as important as any body’s.
Angie Thomas, OMG, I salute you. I'm not sure that's a strong enough commendation, but man, this second novel is Ah-Mazing.
On the Come UpThe Hate U Give, On the Come Up tackles complex, contemporary issues. It is deep. It is accessible. It is everything you could possible want and hope for in a YA contemporary novel. Unlike Thomas's previous novel, this book isn't as much an "Issue Book." It's subtler, and yet through the amazing power of its story-telling, it holds no bars, tackling racism, poverty, gang violence, survival, addiction, sexism, and more.
Bri is our main character, our protagonist. Like her deceased father, Lawless (a victim of gang violence), she is an aspiring rapper. She wants to make it, and she has the talent and ambition to take her places. The story begins when she debuts at The Ring, a place where underground rappers meet to have free-styling, hip hop duels. It's her official beginning on the hip hop scene, and our first introduction to Bri herself, and as she tells us from the get go, you can't spell Brilliant with Bri. She is a spit fire: a flawed, impulsive, angry teenager.
I loved her.
She is such a real and well-rounded character, and her circumstances are tough. There's a lot at play for Bri in her junior year. Her family is struggling. Her older brother Trey moved home after college and has to work at a pizza parlor to help them make ends meet. Her mother loses her job at the beginning of our story. Also, Bri is one of a few Black and Brown students who attend an arts magnet/charter school in Midtown, and she along with others who look like her face discrimination and more scrutiny from security. There is an Incident at the beginning of the novel that shadows subsequent events.
And the music. I loved the hip hop and rap used throughout the novel, and Bri's songs are good. That free styling rap is amazing, and I enjoyed the audio version all the more for the narrator's interpretation of the rap.
Between the master plotting, the themes, and all the characters, On the Come Up is worth any and all hype, and I highly recommend it.
On the Come UpThe Hate U Give, On the Come Up tackles complex, contemporary issues. It is deep. It is accessible. It is everything you could possible want and hope for in a YA contemporary novel. Unlike Thomas's previous novel, this book isn't as much an "Issue Book." It's subtler, and yet through the amazing power of its story-telling, it holds no bars, tackling racism, poverty, gang violence, survival, addiction, sexism, and more.
Bri is our main character, our protagonist. Like her deceased father, Lawless (a victim of gang violence), she is an aspiring rapper. She wants to make it, and she has the talent and ambition to take her places. The story begins when she debuts at The Ring, a place where underground rappers meet to have free-styling, hip hop duels. It's her official beginning on the hip hop scene, and our first introduction to Bri herself, and as she tells us from the get go, you can't spell Brilliant with Bri. She is a spit fire: a flawed, impulsive, angry teenager.
I loved her.
She is such a real and well-rounded character, and her circumstances are tough. There's a lot at play for Bri in her junior year. Her family is struggling. Her older brother Trey moved home after college and has to work at a pizza parlor to help them make ends meet. Her mother loses her job at the beginning of our story. Also, Bri is one of a few Black and Brown students who attend an arts magnet/charter school in Midtown, and she along with others who look like her face discrimination and more scrutiny from security. There is an Incident at the beginning of the novel that shadows subsequent events.
And the music. I loved the hip hop and rap used throughout the novel, and Bri's songs are good. That free styling rap is amazing, and I enjoyed the audio version all the more for the narrator's interpretation of the rap.
Between the master plotting, the themes, and all the characters, On the Come Up is worth any and all hype, and I highly recommend it.
I really enjoyed this book! Angie Thomas’ books are so readable and engaging. Bri was a great protagonist: full of flaws, but someone you just can’t help but cheer for. I can’t wait for Thomas’ next book to come out next year!
Another story of politics and the power of one person’s voice from Angie Thomas. I loved the varied cast of characters. Bri was awesome and Sonny was adorable. I liked the dynamic between Bri and Malik and the way things grew with Curtis. It was more of a personal story than ‘The Hate U Give’, focused on Bri’s dream of becoming a rapper like her late dad. It was an interesting look and how fame can change you and how easily your own words can be twisted against you. Stay true to yourself was a key theme. I did feel like the ending was a little rushed and a little incomplete though.
YES! Yes to everything this book is. Angie Thomas always writes unforgettable characters, and her protagonist Bri JUMPS off the page. I love that this whole book takes down the “angry Black girl/woman” stereotype. It’s clear that Thomas knows what the world thinks of Black girls, and she’s having NONE of it. Everyone should read this book.
Refreshing take on th YA genre
I am not a big fan of YA Novels but I do remember enjoying The Hate U Give , Angie Thomas' debut novel so I figured I would enjoy her sophomore novel On The Come Up. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed being in the world that Thomas created, it was utterly captivating and endearing. Thomas is able to write in such a way that you are entertained and engaged the entire time.
The story follows "sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time." We are thrust into her world as she tries to navigate her friendships, her future and her family life. This are falling apart around Bri and you cannot help but want to protect her. The characters are fully developed and will pull you in from the jump. A great read all around.
I am not a big fan of YA Novels but I do remember enjoying The Hate U Give , Angie Thomas' debut novel so I figured I would enjoy her sophomore novel On The Come Up. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed being in the world that Thomas created, it was utterly captivating and endearing. Thomas is able to write in such a way that you are entertained and engaged the entire time.
The story follows "sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time." We are thrust into her world as she tries to navigate her friendships, her future and her family life. This are falling apart around Bri and you cannot help but want to protect her. The characters are fully developed and will pull you in from the jump. A great read all around.
Tore through this the whole book in a literal single day, it was that good. Highly recommend the audiobook, also kindle has changed my life lmao. Angie Thomas has a gift and a strong voice that shines through in her beautiful and realistic portrayal of family and community. I laughed out loud several times while reading this, and some reveals and suprise plotpoints were genuinely mindblowing. This was such a great read, recommend to anyone who likes hip hop!!!! Or coming of age stories.