Lovers of The Hate U Give rejoiced when it was announced that Angie Thomas was going to write a book about Maverick Carter, father of Starr Carter, telling the story that shaped him and made him who he is. The result is Concrete Rose, set in 1998-1999, just before Starr was born. Naturally, I was excited, because Thomas does not hold back and knows how to get to the heart of a story.
The Situation: It is 1998 and 17 year-old Maverick Carter is a senior in high school looking towards graduation. He is also selling drugs for the King Lords, a local gang in which is father is a legend, earning his son the nickname of 'Li'l Don.' With the money he earns selling drugs, Maverick can help his mom, who already works two jobs just to keep the bills paid. But then Maverick gets the news that turns his world upside down: he is a father, and the mother is not his current girlfriend, Lisa. Suddenly, he has a three month-old son at home, and everything now goes to him. And the decision to stop selling drugs and work part-time at a grocery store may be the safe choice, but it means less money, and less time for studying and sleeping. He also has less time for Lisa, but she wants nothing to do with him once she learns he got another girl pregnant. As difficult as things are, Maverick is determined to make it work, until tragedy strikes and he loses someone close to him, making him wonder if any of it is worth it.
The Problem: What Maverick really wants, aside from Lisa's forgiveness, is to be out of the King Lords for good, but getting out of a gang is not as simple as walking away. He and his best friend King were practically born into it, but with his father in jail, Maverick knows what it is like to grow up without a father, and he does not want that for his own son. But even simply stepping away from selling drugs is difficult. Sure, the loss of money is a problem - turns out babies are incredibly expensive - but he also misses his friends and being able to buy what he wants. When he loses a friend to violence, Maverick wants nothing more than to exact revenge in the way gangs are known to do. He knows he should do the right thing, and every adult he comes into contact with cannot help but lecture him about it, but Maverick has to decide for himself what it is to be a man, and what it is going to cost to live his life on his terms.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set during the 1998-1999 school year. At the focus is Maverick Carter, the father of Starr Carter, the heroine of The Hate U Give, which is set 16 years later. In Concrete Rose, readers not only get a look at Maverick's life in the Garden, the same neighborhood in which Starr will grow up, but they will also meet many characters that show up as adults in Starr's story. Gang life may be front and center, but so are fatherhood, manhood, friendship, family, loyalty, and revenge. Maverick feels like he is caught between two worlds, much like Starr will 16 years later, but in a different way, and with different worlds. Gang life is what he knows and what he was born into, but now that he has a son who relies on him, he knows there are only a few ways this can end, and he wants none of them. Nothing comes easy, everything is a struggle, and every decision has consequences.
My Verdict: I applaud Thomas for going for it, for not holding back and refusing to pull punches. What happens in this book will be difficult for many to stomach, and for some to believe. And it is not simply presented in an in-your-face-way that makes it hard to read. In fact, I found it to be pretty easy to read, despite the difficult subject matter, and that is a testament to Thomas' skill as a writer and the grace with which she has formed her characters and her settings. The Garden is a tough place where it can be hard to survive, much less excel, and there are times when it seems Maverick is incapable of making anything that resembles a good decision. He is a frustrating protagonist living in a frustrating place, and many of the people he has surrounded himself with are not helping. But with every new challenge, Maverick's story stays both compelling and hopeful, and I encourage everyone to give it a try.
Favorite Moment: Any moment when Maverick interacts with his son, Seven, is a delight. Especially once he starts to get the hang of things.
Favorite Character: Maverick's mother, like most black mothers who work too hard, is not one to be messed with. Somehow, she is still both forgiving and gracious, but she also never lets Maverick off the hook.
Recommended Reading: I imagine most readers of this book will have read The Hate U Give, so I will recommend Dear Martin by Nic Stone.
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