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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
A Black high-schooler resolves to become his own man, negotiating masculinity, manhood, love, fatherhood, and violence, while growing up beloved in a neighborhood that is also gang territory. Prequel to The Hate U Give. Excellent.
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a prequel to a book I have not read, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
It focuses on Maverick, a 17 year old black boy in the late 90s USA, whose father has been in jail for drug dealing, and mother works 2 jobs, and ends up being a teen father. The society treats black boys in such a rigid way, it boxes them in inside these set definitions, and it's hard to break those walls down. Even when he has guidance from people who encourage and support him to take the harder route, Maverick has friends who make it seem unfashionable and unmanly to leave the life of drug dealing, crime and even encourage having sex as a social standing.
I liked how the book explored the things a black boy goes through, and he keeps making mistakes, but he also keeps trying to make things right, treat his son, his mom, his girlfriend right. He heeds to his cousin's good advice, to his employer's good advice, finally. He deals with grief and parenthood in a way that felt realistic. He's not perfect, not at all, but he was a character that I rooted for.
It focuses on Maverick, a 17 year old black boy in the late 90s USA, whose father has been in jail for drug dealing, and mother works 2 jobs, and ends up being a teen father. The society treats black boys in such a rigid way, it boxes them in inside these set definitions, and it's hard to break those walls down. Even when he has guidance from people who encourage and support him to take the harder route, Maverick has friends who make it seem unfashionable and unmanly to leave the life of drug dealing, crime and even encourage having sex as a social standing.
I liked how the book explored the things a black boy goes through, and he keeps making mistakes, but he also keeps trying to make things right, treat his son, his mom, his girlfriend right. He heeds to his cousin's good advice, to his employer's good advice, finally. He deals with grief and parenthood in a way that felt realistic. He's not perfect, not at all, but he was a character that I rooted for.
I just finished this amazing story, and I'm still reeling from the emotions!
This is my favourite read of the year so far! I loved THUG and was interested to read about Starr’s father as a 17 year old but didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. I listened to the audiobook which was fantastic, Maverick was such a solid character facing so many challenges while making his way through life, my heart broke a little but I was also reminded of the strength of their family. And now I can’t wait to reread THUG
Concrete Rose is a phenomenal prequel to The Hate U Give. Concrete Rose follows Maverick Carter as he maneuvers through life as a young father in Graden Heights. As the son of King Lord’s leader, Adonis, Maverick feels pressured to live up to his father's reputation. While being a King Lord was expected, being a teenage father wasn't. Finding out that he is now a father to a baby boy, Maverick directs all his attention to raising his son correctly. Right when Maverick thinks life can't get any worse, tragedy strikes; also, he finds out he will be a father again! While the struggle of fathering one child is stressful enough, fathering a second one is overwhelming. This overwhelming feeling causes Maverick to choose between keeping a promise he once made to someone close to him or succumbing to the streets. Concrete Rose is a beautiful story that tells the journey of how Maverick navigated through life obstacles on his way to the man/father you came to know in The Hate U Give.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Forget the world; he should have the sun, the moon, and all the stars, and they wouldn't be enough."
4.5
4.5
It’s strange reading this prequel because most of the large events you already know, if you’ve read The Hate U Give. But it is still interesting seeing these characters as their younger selves and the events that snowballed into the powder keg that was the sequel too.
I ended up vacillating between being really interested in what was occurring and feeling like I already knew everything, so the tension in the plot wasn’t really present. In the end, this is another book where the voice is so quintessentially YA, in the same earnest and heartfelt way the authors other books are, that even when you’re retreading ground, it’s an empathic and compelling experience.
I ended up vacillating between being really interested in what was occurring and feeling like I already knew everything, so the tension in the plot wasn’t really present. In the end, this is another book where the voice is so quintessentially YA, in the same earnest and heartfelt way the authors other books are, that even when you’re retreading ground, it’s an empathic and compelling experience.
I'm not sure if I would have picked this up without having read The Hate U Give, but it is definitely a worthwhile book on its own. It's a great exploration of teen parenthood, masculinity, racism, and choices.
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i havent yet read THUG, but my daughter was reading this for school so i wanted to read it with her. i found Maverick to be an interesting and complicated young guy, he had a lot of things to deal with and he didn't always do the right thing but he found his way. it felt a little unreal, but i did really feel he was genuine so i think that balanced it out. the book was mostly about hardship but there were a few moments of lightness, perhaps it feels close to what it feels like for some kids in low-income neighborhoods. i am interested to read THUG now and continue following the characters.