Young Adult Fiction: On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

It's here! And I am so happy! I am certainly not alone in being excited for the arrival on On the Come Up, the second novel from Angie Thomas, the writer of the 2017 phenomenon The Hate U Give. Fans have been waiting to see what Thomas would come up with next, and our chance has finally come.

The Situation: Brianna "Bri" Jackson (aka Li'l Law, or Li'l Bit) wants nothing more than to be a rapper, and her chance has come in the form of an opportunity to battle in the Ring. If she wins her freestyle battle against her unknown opponent, it will be the first step towards Bri's massive dream. She already has the pedigree, as nearly everyone in Garden Heights knows. Bri is the daughter of underground rap legend Lawless, who was gunned down when she was only a child, sending her mother, Jay, into a downward spiral of grief and drug abuse. Now Jay is eight years clean, but struggling to keep the gas and lights on for herself, Bri, and Bri's older brother, Trey. Right now, Jay wants Bri's primary focus to be on school and preparing for college entrance exams. But if it is not her future rap career she is thinking about, it is her best friends Sonny and Malik; or her Aunt Pooh (not her real name) and her affiliation with a local gang; or the nonsense that is high school and the security guards that seem to only target the brown kids. 

The Problem: With the help of Aunt Pooh as her manager, Bri scores some time in a studio to record her own track. Not only does she manage to basically come up with a new song on the fly, but she has everyone in the studio bobbin' their heads and telling her it's fire. The song is catchy, it is honest, and almost everyone loves it, except of course the gang members who feel as if they have been called out. There is also the concerned parents of some of Bri's fellow students who feel the song is aggressive and incites violent behavior. All Bri wants is to take care of her family, and also be recognized for her talent, and not as the ratchet hoodlum everyone wants to believe she is, which is also how her father's former manager wants to market her. It is one thing when strangers do not understand her, but it becomes something different when those closest to Bri do not seem to understand what she is trying to do either. Ultimately, it will be up to Bri to decide who she wants to be.  

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult novel that is placed in the same universe (and I love that Thomas officially has her own universe) as The Hate U Give. The murder, as well as the ensuing riots, that occurred in Thomas' first novel are referenced several times throughout this one. The result has been increased security at Bri's school, making the place feel more like a prison than a place of learning. And while complaints have been made against the school security guards, nothing has been done, even after an incident that ends with Bri being held against the ground at the front entrance. This seems to be the launching point for a number of issues Bri will have to tackle in 400+ pages. If it was not enough to deal with high school, college preparations, and everyone looking at you like you are a drug dealer, Bri must also face the reality of choosing between the gas bill or groceries - rent or the electricity bill. Of course, those are not really her worries, and Jay tells her so, but Bri would love for her mother to not have to worry about that stuff either, as well as for her Aunt to no longer be a Garden Disciple. Not being judged by her lyrics would also be nice, but those who are not in love with them are insisting they mean something they do not, at least not for Bri. Rap music being blamed for social issues is nothing new, and neither is painting a black kid as a hoodlum or gangster, and Bri is tired of it.    

My Verdict: This is a story. Yeah, it is good. In fact, it is better than good: It is amazing. Personally, I like it even better than The Hate U Give, but that is not even the point. People are naturally going to hold it up against its predecessor, but this book stands on its own. It is complex, there is a lot going on, it is honest, it is upfront, and it is real. And Bri...oh my Bri. Teenage girls (and boys) can be a trial, and Bri is certainly that for pretty much anyone who has to deal with her. But even though she has a mouth on her, and it frequently keeps her in trouble, I loved it when she spoke up, most of the time. Stories like hers are the kind of stories people need to hear, but are most often ignored. And I am not necessarily talking about the dreams of becoming a rapper, but the kind of everyday nonsense she has to face at school and in her own neighborhood. I said this with The Hate U Give, and people tend to roll their eyes when I do (the first being my own mother), but everyone should read it.    

Favorite Moment: When Jay and Bri are having an argument and Jay claps. Out. Every. Word. Thomas manages to write it in such a way that the scene is easy to picture, so much so that I found myself leaning away from the book.

Favorite Character: I wish that Granddaddy (Bri's father's father) was in the book more. Bri's grandmother was hard to take, but her grandfather was delightful, while also being supportive, funny, and incredibly helpful.

Favorite Quote: "High school ain't the end or the beginning. It ain't even in the middle." - Aunt Pooh  

Recommended Reading: It feels like a cheat to recommend The Hate U Give, especially as most readers who are picking up On the Come Up have already read it. So instead, I will recommend Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X, as well as Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson.