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Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The YA love letter to hip-hop�??streaming on Paramount+ September 23, 2022! Starring Sanaa Lathan (in her directorial debut), Jamila C. Gray, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Method Man, Mike Epps, GaTa (Davionte Ganter), Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Titus Makin Jr., and Michael Anthony Cooper Jr. #1 New York Times bestseller · Seven starred reviews · Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book This digital edition contains a letter from the author, deleted scenes, a picture of the author as a teen rapper, an annotated playlist, Angie's top 5 MCs, an annotated rap, illustrated quotes from the book, and an excerpt from Concrete Rose, Angie's return to Garden Heights. Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it�??she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn't always free. "For all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri."�??The New York Times Book Review Plus don't miss Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas's powerful prequel to her phenomenal bestseller, The Hate U Give!… (more)
User reviews
Quotes: "The school counselor asks questions that sound like they came from some "How to Talk to Statistical Black Children Who Come to Your Office Often" handbook."
"The unspoken rules for going into a store: 1. Keep your hands out of your pockets and your backpack; 2. Always use "sir" and "ma'am"; 3. Don't go into a store unless you're planning to buy something; 4. Keep your cool if they follow you around; 5. Don't give them any reason to think you're up to something."
It seems her break has come when she is invited to perform at a neighborhood open mike. But life is more complicated than that
I really enjoyed this slice-of-life coming-of-age story of a gifted girl in a tough neighborhood. This is the second YA novel by Thomas, and while it is not a plot taken straight from newspaper headlines as was [The Hate U Give], it’s a good strong story as Bri learns to navigate wanting to further her career and help her family – as well as honoring them.
Bri is the daughter of an underground rap legend who was killed by gang members, and now she
Bri's social life gives her more support--when she accepts it. Her two best friends want her to succeed. Success will come her way if she does well in a battle, a rap battle. Her drug-dealing aunt gets Bri a spot in the next battle; she's up against Milez--the son of her father's manager. When the battle is seen on YouTube, people start some buzz about her. She clearly stomps Milez. Another even happens when Bri is violently handled by white security agents at her school where people of color are treated differently by security. The unfairness eats at Bri. It's when she's writing a song around her aunt's friends that everything goes crazy because she's writing real lyrics about her life and how she's been treated. No one is listening. The students of color are ignored again. The song becomes a local hit, but it's controversial. Bri is perceived as dissing a local gang and being "ghetto." She gets very angry and has difficulty controlling herself when people misinterpret the meaning of her lyrics. These lyrics, however, get her a manager. She's on the come up now! Here's some hope but at what cost? Bri cannot control her temper which leads to friction with her friends who want to help and with Bri keeping secrets.
I know comparing books is not always a great thing to do, but I liked the Hate U Give better. I had a hard time liking Bri. I have great sympathy for her situation as she feels she has no control and the world is against her. She feels like she's constantly in a battle that is designed to lead her to failure and no one will listen to her. I get it. What bothers me is how she treated everyone. She didn't apologize much either. if she was called on her behavior by people she cared about, she responded they were wrong. She behaved badly and treated people badly--no excuse. Even her family tells her that--more eloquently I might add. She's not to blame for where she lives and the poverty they have, but she should acknowledge how she treats people. She grew up in the Garden and knows what it's like, but she didn't act like she understood why she got in a dangerous situation. Someone raised there wouldn't have been so naive. I'm glad I listened to the novel because the narrator was OUTSTANDING! I like the book; it's well-written; I think it should be read by many people. Until we understand each other, we won't learn to care for each other. Our goals should be to always help all people "come up" in life, especially when life is harder for some than others.
When Bri enters a freestyle rap competition at a local hot spot, she outshines her competitor so much that his agent (who also happens to be his father) wants to sign her up to represent her as well. It starts to look like things are moving up.
Meanwhile, there is also trouble at Bri's school, where two security guards constantly single out the black and brown kids with little or no cause. After an altercation in which the two guards slam Bri to the ground on suspicious of selling drugs (she sells candy, technically against school rules, but it definitely isn't drugs) things at the school get tougher.
When she records her first song, inspired by her treatment by the school guards, it becomes an instant local hit, but unfortunately, many people, both in and out of her neighborhood, completely misunderstand her lyrics, and think she's all about the gang lifestyle, which wasn't her intention. But it sure does seem to be sending her career on the path she wanted.
Bri faces numerous tough decisions in a book about love, ambition, being true to yourself, and doing the right thing.
Angie Thomas excels at taking the reader through a story, and managing to fairly present multiple viewpoints on an issue, even in a tale told in the first person. "The Hate U Give" was a brilliant observation of the levels of racism and police brutality in our times. "On the Come Up" covers some big issues, but overall, it's a much more personal story. Two words, six syllables: Highly recommended.
Note: I listened to the audio and the reader was great.
Like The Hate U Give, this one is set in Garden Heights, a mirror of downtrodden urban areas across the country. Thomas is so good at capturing realistic dialogue and daily dilemmas, including the risks of choice and the costs of bad choices. Sometimes a bad choice seems like the only choice there is.
Race, gender, class and poverty issues all affect the characters' daily lives. Bri is a battler, which often gets her into trouble her white classmates don't experience, even for similar behavior. Her mother is an ex-drug addict who loses her job, and has to scramble to make ends meet. At the same time she's working to restore her daughter's trust from her time of despair and addiction.
It may sound like a grim book, but it's actually the opposite. There's hope and humor and love and romance, even amid dire circumstances. Bri is a dynamic rapper, and we experience the excitement of her first competitive bout, and all that comes after. The end seemed a bit "tidy" to me, but this is a YA book. Bri is a wonderful, imperfect character learning what's important to her, and how to live with integrity in a difficult world. Another winning book from Angie Thomas. Four and a half stars.
courageous and brilliant Bri; loyal Sonny and Malik; outspoken, loving Jay; sensitive Trey.
No, the best thing is friendship,
Bri, Malik and Sonny have each others' backs since childhood.
No, the best thing is learning respect for rappers,
top folks create lyrics on
No, the best thing is Angie Thomas' writing,
voice, tone, relevance, authentic language.
All in all it was a great read that I couldn't put down.
Despite her life full of tension, I feel like she finds some peace in the end and comes to terms with the fact that she is who she is because of her family and the Garden. I like that she has a moment where she realizes she is a role model for younger kids after she hears them rapping her violent lyrics without understanding the back-story. “I am somebody’s hope, I am somebody’s mirror (440).” I am sure this book will be too.
Bri's dad was killed as a bystander in a gang war; her mother is a recovering (8 years clean) drug addict; her aunt is a drug-dealing
This wasn't as riveting as The Hate U Give, and I struggled a bit with the rap lyrics while I was reading (since I personally don't have any talent for finding the rhythms), but I think this will resonate a LOT with modern kids of color.
I think Angie Thomas has created an empathetic character in Bri--pulling for her all the time you see the forces of life pushing her down.
Interestingly, Brianna comes off more negatively than the main characters in Thomas's other books; she's a bit of a brat. I think that's because Thomas (who is also a rapper) sees herself in the character and thus was harder on her.)