On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

After reading and loving The Hate U Give as part of my Finally in 2019 Challenge, I knew that I wanted to check out Angie Thomas's second novel, On the Come Up. This book was just released a couple of months ago, and I actually pre-ordered it ahead of time, so it was already sitting on my shelf. I decided to try something different and sit down to read it while it was new, instead of being years behind the times (you know, like I normally am). Interested to see if I would enjoy this novel as much as her last one, I dove in.

On the Come Up takes place in the same fictional inner-city as The Hate U Give, Garden Heights. The city is still plagued with drugs, violence, and gangs, but now they have the added turmoil of dealing with a stronger police presence after the events of the officer-involved shooting from the first book. The setting is where the connections between the two novels end. While some of the characters will vaguely reference the events of the The Hate U Give, this novel focuses on a completely different set of characters and story.

This novel focuses on sixteen-year-old Bri Jackson, an aspiring rapper trying to make it in Garden Heights's underground rap scene. Aside from her natural talent at writing lyrics and performing, Bri has her lineage going for her. Her father was a popular rapper in the neighborhood too, until he was shot and killed by a rival gang when Bri was a little kid. She hopes to carry on his legacy while making a name for herself and finding her own place in the music industry. At the beginning of the novel, she starts to make that name by performing well in a rap battle. Her rhymes attract the attention of her dad's ex-manager, and he begins to show some interest in representing her.

Unfortunately, it's tough for Bri to take a measured approach to building a music career. Her home situation is in turmoil. Her mother, a recovering drug addict, has recently lost her job and is having difficulty finding another one. Her older brother, Trey, is trying to help provide for the family, but despite having a psychology degree, he is only able to find work at a local pizza place. Bri has to deal with not having enough food in the house, the constant threat of eviction, and losing access to heat and power as the bills start to pile up.

Things at her magnet high school are similarly not going well. Bri has a fiery personality; she is quick to anger and jump to conclusions. Her eye-rolling and snarky comments have gotten her labeled as "aggressive" at school, and she frequently winds up in the principal's office, despite not having done much wrong. Things come to a breaking point when she gets involved in an altercation with a pair of school security guards that ends with her being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed after refusing to submit to a backpack search. Her friends use this incident as a rallying point to begin protesting the unequal disciplinary treatment that black and brown students at the school seem to receive in relation to their white peers. Bri, however, does not want to become the face of this movement, which brings her into conflict with some of her friends.

All of these factors make Bri feel more determined than ever to make it in the rap industry. She sees it as the only way out for her and her family and is prepared to do anything to make it happen. In response to the incident at her school, she pens and records a song called "On the Come Up," which she means to serve as an anthem for herself and for others that feel oppressed and labeled by society as "thugs." However, some of her lyrics include references to guns and violence that the white community vilifies her for once the song takes off. As Bri works to try and rise in the music scene, she must try to balance her determination to achieve her dream with the social issues in her community, the racism she encounters all around her, and the personal issues going on in her family.

This book was excellent, and one of the main reasons for that was the strength of Thomas's writing. Bri's character was very well-written. She felt like a real teenager with a clear voice and opinion. Her use of slang, pop culture references, and dramatic moments felt very natural and brought the narration to life. In truth, Bri was not an easy character for me to like. I often felt frustrated reading about the decisions she made, because they seemed so short-sighted and sometimes dangerous to me, but they were definitely the kind of decisions a teenager with her personality in her situation would make, so I can't fault them. Even though I frequently disagreed with her point of view on things, I could understand where she was coming from, so I could still enjoy her story. She wasn't perfect, none of the characters were, and that made the story feel very genuine. The one drawback in felt in this area was that I'm not sure how much Bri changed by the end of the novel. She goes through a lot over the course of the story, but her personality remains mostly the same. I would have liked to see her mature a little bit more, but this feeling wasn't enough to prevent me from liking the writing.

 Similarly, the social justice issues Thomas explored were realistic and handled well. The issue of black and brown students facing harsher disciplinary measures at school than their white peers is absolutely something that happens, and I enjoyed seeing the book address that. I also enjoyed the discussion on rap lyrics and responsibility. This wasn't a topic I paid much attention to before reading, but there is quite a lot of food for thought there. Bri writes a song that references guns and violence, even though she is not personally involved with either of those things. Does this make her a liar, irresponsible, or is it just her artistic license? Furthermore, can these lyrics incite violence in the real world? If they do, is Bri responsible? Rap has long been blamed for the ills of the black community, and this novel helps to examine that question and reveal how unfair the concept is.

The vicious cycle of poverty, gang involvement, and drugs was also explored in this novel. These three elements have become horrifically entwined in Bri's life. Her father was shot and killed in a gang-related incident. The grief from this experience was at the root of why her mother turned to drugs. Her mother's dependence on drugs led her on a path to poverty for herself and her children. It's a terrible cycle that touches every part of Bri's life. After reading about these seemingly insurmountable problems, it becomes easy to understand why she is willing to make risky decisions throughout the novel to break free of all the problems and drama. It's a raw and powerful read that doesn't hold back on the reality of these tough issues.

Ultimately, I did not like On the Come Up quite as much as The Hate U Give. There were a few plot elements that didn't add up for me. For example, Bri's mom seemed remarkably oblivious to nearly everything Bri was doing, and when she did find out the extent of sneaking around she was doing for her music, she didn't care enough. Also, the ending felt too convenient when compared to the messiness and imperfections of the situations in the rest of the book. However, it was still an excellent read. Thomas is definitely an author to keep on your radar, and her voice is very important in the young adult literary community. She has the knowledge, ability, and bravery to discuss important racial and social justice issues head on, and we need more of these stories out in the world. These characters and situations can help build bridges between different groups and broaden our understanding of the world. This was a moving read that I would definitely recommend to all teens and adults.

Challenge Tally
Finally in 2019: 7/6 Books Read - Complete!

Total Books Read in 2019: 15