Straight back in to Garden Heights except this time Bri is on the come up
On The Come Up – the blurb
Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the center of controversy and portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. And with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it – she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.
Bri – one word, one syllable
Followers of Book Social will know how much I loved T.H.U.G and its prequel Concrete Road so it was only natural I was going to read Thomas’ third outing. Technically it came out before Concrete Road but it was third for me. The setting was pure Garden Heights and whilst it is not a sequel it takes place in a similar time to T.H.U.G with the rioting and shooting of Khalil is referred to.
Bri is a fantastic lead character who tries to do the right thing for her family in difficult circumstances. I loved how flawed she was, how she made mistakes and spoke her mind. It all made her feel a very real teenager finding her feet. T.H.U.G was about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in. On The Come Up is too but in a very different way. Bri’s moments in The Ring were some of my favorite sections of the book – how I wish I could pull lines together like that. Yet racism, poverty and gang life were constantly issues and powerfully portrayed. It’s very difficult for me as a nearly 40 year old white, middle class woman to describe the book as authentic and fresh without sounding condescending but that’s what it felt like. It’s not quite T.H.U.G but On The Come Up certainly proves Angie Thomas is the voice of a generation. And I’m listening.