Blog #2, On the Come Up, by Angie Thomas

On the come up

Angie Thomas

New York best selling author of “The Hate You Give” is also the author of “On the Come Up.” This story is about a teenager named Bri, who finds her passion in rap music. She lives in a neighborhood that deals with a lot of violence, and police brutality. It is where her father was a victim of gang related violence. He is killed right before his music career is about to take off, and Bri is left wanting to continue his legacy while also creating her own. However, her dream is put to a halt when the society around her attempts to turn her into something she never intended to be.

I loved the raw honesty that this book is filled with. The author puts you right in Bri’s shoes and there were so many moments where I truly felt what she was feeling. From the language that Angie Thomas used to the twisting complexities of family relationships, to rap battles where you could hear the cheers and feel the atmosphere of it all as if you were standing right in the center of it. The story and characters were incredibly real, while also exposing a much larger message and a strong sense of activism throughout the novel. It was incredibly relevant to today’s day and age, tackling themes like racism, poverty, addiction and high school relationships. That aspect definitely made this story relateable to its readers and current.

I think the thing that really stuck with me in this novel was the music. It was incredible to me how Angie Thomas wrote the raps and songs that her character Bri preformed. I felt that I could truly hear the rhythm and music while reading the lyrics, and I loved how perfectly it worked with the theme of the story, and the message that the author portrayed.

In conclusion, I thought this book was amazing, and definitely did a wonderful job of putting into light some of the current issues that are going on in the world right now. I fell in love with the characters and instantly felt like they were real people I knew, which I love when authors do. It inspired me, and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good book to read.