Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

14 reviews

zombiezami's review

challenging reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Classism, Violence, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Murder, Death, Pregnancy, and Bullying

Moderate: Drug abuse, Infidelity, Excrement, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Stalking, Vomit, Drug use, Police brutality, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, Confinement, and Addiction

Minor: Slavery, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol

Incarcation, Gang violence

bookcaptivated's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Racism, Abandonment, Grief, Toxic friendship, Death, Murder, and Blood

Moderate: Drug use, Cursing, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content, Infidelity, Abortion, Addiction, and Medical content

vercopaanir's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It made me furious about the state of our nation and emotional and hopeful for Maverick and his family. I loved it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Violence, and Drug use

Moderate: Addiction, Gore, Drug abuse, and Excrement

Minor: Abandonment, Biphobia, Medical content, and Slavery

rachel1's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Concrete Rose tells the story of Maverick Carter, the father of the Starr from The Hate U Give, as a seventeen-year-old. The story is not a list of everything that happens to the character before the events of The Hate U Give, as a lot of big events happen after this story takes place. If that's what you were expecting, it may disappoint you. Instead, it focuses on this one year of his life, the year that his eldest son Seven is born and the year Lisa becomes pregnant with Starr. The book shows us his family, something we never see in The Hate U Give. But what this book is really about is to shine a light on the experiences of black teenage boys in lower-income neighbourhoods and to humanise them when others will demonise them, and to depict a different side of black life than The Hate U Give. The book serves humanise gang members and shows why people get stuck in gangs and why it may often be necessary, while not shying away from the inherent violence involved. It subverts stereotypes of black teenage parents -- Maverick, instead of abandoning his son like is stereotypical, instead raises him almost on his own. Lisa, instead of being portrayed as an irresponsible slut, is intelligent and responsible and trying desperately to do what she thinks is right for her unborn daughter. While she wants to have and keep this baby rather than have an abortion or give her up for adoption, the book doesn't depict either of the other two options as bad options, nor does it judge her for choosing to keep the baby. Iesha, Seven's mother, is also given a more sympathetic portrayal than she was in The Hate U Give, depicted as a teenage mother going through post-partum depression. That was one of my biggest issues with The Hate U Give, where Iesha was depicted as a whore and a gold-digger and was only really given any sympathy towards the end. While those issues are not gotten rid of entirely, she is still depicted as a gold-digger and judged for her sexuality, the added dimension to her character is an improvement. One of my issues is that the book ended quite abruptly. I didn't expect everything to happen in this book, we know the important stuff that happens to Maverick from The Hate U Give, we don't need to see it all, but I would like to see just a little more

perhaps ending with the birth of Starr

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Cursing, Grief, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs

Minor: Abortion, Medical content, and Misogyny

Gang violence.

maddyontheoffbeat's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love all of Angie Thomas’s books and this one is no different! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy and Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Addiction, and Medical content

darryn_gray's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I absolutely loved this book almost more than The Hate U Give. It might help that I already knew the characters going into it. But I loved seeing Maverick in such a different light than before. The energy in this book from the characters was amazing.

It showed a different side of the Garden Heights than we saw in The Hate U Give, and I really enjoyed seeing it work on a day to day life while Mav went around being 2 for 2 on making babies.

I am still in love with Angie Thomas as an author. Her books always take me a minute to get into, but by  the end I am always hooked and wanting more.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Drug use and Medical content

cerilouisereads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, and Drug use

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

teatales's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexual content, and Violence

alylentz's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I didn't want this to end. Angie Thomas writes such warm and wonderful characters that just make you want to live in their world forever, even when they're in difficult situations. This is the rare sequel/prequel that can completely stand on its own, and utterly lives up to the hype of the first one. Simply cannot say enough good things about this. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Drug use, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence

Minor: Drug abuse, Medical content, and Abortion

bookybadger's review against another edition

funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Violence, Pregnancy, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Grief, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual content, and Violence