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yara_adorablebooks's review
4.0
Angie Thomas heeft een belachelijk goede schrijfstijl en deze vertaling is helemaal top. Wat ik zo bijzonder vind is dat Angie Thomas altijd onderwerpen weet aan te snijden waar anderen niet aan durven te beginnen. Racisme, armoede, ongelijkheid... Een harde realiteit om te lezen. Ik had hem zo snel uit - een aanrader om te lezen. Lees hier mijn volledige recensie: https://adorablebooks.nl/de-roos-uit-het-beton-angie-thomas/
book_concierge's review
4.0
Audiobook performed by Dion Graham
4****
In this prequel to The Hate U Give, Thomas gives us the young Maverick Carter, a 17-year-old gang member struggling to find his path to manhood.
I really liked her debut novel, but I have a problem with “prequels / sequels.” That’s my issue and I recognize it may be unfair, but Thomas’s sophomore effort had that hill to climb for me. And she did it marvelously well!
I can really see how this young man, hardly out of childhood, is being influenced – by his peers, by his parents, by other adults in his neighborhood and school, and by the expectations of society. The pressure on him to “be a man” is intense, and the conflicting ways in which this is evidenced or proved to others is at the core of Maverick’s difficulties.
On the one hand he honors the respect shown his father (who is incarcerated for crimes committed) by other gang members and the reputation Maverick feels he needs to live up to as “little Don.” On the other hand, are the messages he’s getting from his mother and neighbor Mr Wyatt about being responsible, and thinking for himself rather than following the crowd. On the one hand is the sense of belonging and camaraderie he feels with his fellow gang members, on the other is the love he feels for his girlfriend Lisa, and the obvious disdain shown him by her brother and parents because of his gang affiliation. I particularly liked the conversations he had with Mr Wyatt, owner of the local grocery, who gives Maverick a part-time job and some sound advice on setting goals and working to achieve them.
Maverick’s only seventeen, and for all his bravado and pronouncements about “being a man” he is not yet an adult. Teenagers make mistakes – sometimes serious mistakes – often based on the emotion of an instant rather than a coherent plan. Some poor decisions threaten to completely derail this young man’s path to adulthood. Having read the debut novel, I know he’ll survive, and yet some of the scenes had me so afraid for Maverick, my heart was in my throat and tears flowed freely.
Thomas writes about a realistic urban environment for many families, with brutal honesty and empathy. She does not shy away from the serious social issues facing these families, nor does she offer platitudes or pat answers on how to address these issues.
Dion Graham does a marvelous job performing the audiobook. He really brings these characters to life and his changes in vocal style, and inflection make it easy to understand who is speaking.
4****
In this prequel to The Hate U Give, Thomas gives us the young Maverick Carter, a 17-year-old gang member struggling to find his path to manhood.
I really liked her debut novel, but I have a problem with “prequels / sequels.” That’s my issue and I recognize it may be unfair, but Thomas’s sophomore effort had that hill to climb for me. And she did it marvelously well!
I can really see how this young man, hardly out of childhood, is being influenced – by his peers, by his parents, by other adults in his neighborhood and school, and by the expectations of society. The pressure on him to “be a man” is intense, and the conflicting ways in which this is evidenced or proved to others is at the core of Maverick’s difficulties.
On the one hand he honors the respect shown his father (who is incarcerated for crimes committed) by other gang members and the reputation Maverick feels he needs to live up to as “little Don.” On the other hand, are the messages he’s getting from his mother and neighbor Mr Wyatt about being responsible, and thinking for himself rather than following the crowd. On the one hand is the sense of belonging and camaraderie he feels with his fellow gang members, on the other is the love he feels for his girlfriend Lisa, and the obvious disdain shown him by her brother and parents because of his gang affiliation. I particularly liked the conversations he had with Mr Wyatt, owner of the local grocery, who gives Maverick a part-time job and some sound advice on setting goals and working to achieve them.
Maverick’s only seventeen, and for all his bravado and pronouncements about “being a man” he is not yet an adult. Teenagers make mistakes – sometimes serious mistakes – often based on the emotion of an instant rather than a coherent plan. Some poor decisions threaten to completely derail this young man’s path to adulthood. Having read the debut novel, I know he’ll survive, and yet some of the scenes had me so afraid for Maverick, my heart was in my throat and tears flowed freely.
Thomas writes about a realistic urban environment for many families, with brutal honesty and empathy. She does not shy away from the serious social issues facing these families, nor does she offer platitudes or pat answers on how to address these issues.
Dion Graham does a marvelous job performing the audiobook. He really brings these characters to life and his changes in vocal style, and inflection make it easy to understand who is speaking.
hhh_111's review
2.0
I thought I would like this more than THUG but actually liked it less. :( a shame
radiantrox's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
5.0
emilyaird16's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.0
candaceallison's review
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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? No
4.75
barnesbookshelf's review
5.0
It's been a minute since I read [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190], so there were little things here and there that I couldn't remember from it, like Starr's mother's name (I figured it out lol). But what's nice is that I didn't need to remember everything (or really anything) to love this book! Mav made some downright dumb decisions, but he learned and grew and figured out who he wanted to be, and I love it even more for that. Not everything he did was right, and not everything he did was for the right reasons, but they all helped him. It shows that you can, at any time, make the decision to change your life. It's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it (as The Hate U Give shows us).
Also, I just love Angie Thomas' style. It's fantastic!
Also, I just love Angie Thomas' style. It's fantastic!
s_piercenyback's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
trixaca's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.75
myriadreads's review
4.0
“Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's laws wrong, it learned to walk without having feet. Funny, it seems to by keeping it's dreams; it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else even cared.” --Tupac Shakur
This prequel did not disappoint! Angie Thomas writes books about flawed characters who are learning and growing in challenging circumstances. Concrete Rose references the Tupac poem above, and it's the perfect title for Mav's story. Maverick Carter's father is a gang member who is in prison, and his mom works like a dog to keep the lights on. Maverick joined a gang too, because if you don't claim a color, no one has your back. His cousin Dre looks out for him and won't let him sling anything harder than weed, but Maverick is tired of being broke, and he gets in deeper than his cousin thinks. As the story opens, Maverick finds out that he's a father, following a one night stand. Being a father, a Dad, means something to Maverick, so he takes a job at a local grocery store, starts helping his mom with the bills, and steps up. Readers won't be able to help but cheer for Mav as he learns about gardening, works hard, loves his son, and tries his hardest to avoid being pulled under by the violence and crime that have shaped his years. Will he make it, or will his past decisions make his dreams impossible?
This prequel did not disappoint! Angie Thomas writes books about flawed characters who are learning and growing in challenging circumstances. Concrete Rose references the Tupac poem above, and it's the perfect title for Mav's story. Maverick Carter's father is a gang member who is in prison, and his mom works like a dog to keep the lights on. Maverick joined a gang too, because if you don't claim a color, no one has your back. His cousin Dre looks out for him and won't let him sling anything harder than weed, but Maverick is tired of being broke, and he gets in deeper than his cousin thinks. As the story opens, Maverick finds out that he's a father, following a one night stand. Being a father, a Dad, means something to Maverick, so he takes a job at a local grocery store, starts helping his mom with the bills, and steps up. Readers won't be able to help but cheer for Mav as he learns about gardening, works hard, loves his son, and tries his hardest to avoid being pulled under by the violence and crime that have shaped his years. Will he make it, or will his past decisions make his dreams impossible?