On the Come Up

On the Come Up
Angie Thomas
Balzer + Bray, 2019 464 pages
Grades 9-Up
Realistic Fiction

Bri Johnson's dream is to be a rapper, like her deceased father, who was gunned down by a gang at the height of his career. She has his abilities and motivation, but what she lacks is proper guidance. Bri's aunt is her agent, but gang business keeps her aunt from getting the job done. Mom is distracted by staying clean after eight years of sobriety, job hunting, and keeping food on the table and the lights on. Bri is bused to a magnet school for the arts, where security guards unfairly search and harass the students of color on a daily basis. One day Bri speaks out, which leads to an altercation with the guards and Bri is physically thrown onto the ground. In retaliation she records a rap lifting up all of the behaviors society accuses her of exhibiting called On the Come Up, which becomes a battle cry for all folks of color in the city. When a riot ensues at Bri's school and the kids are chanting her words, the song goes viral, the words get taken out of context, and Bri is labeled a thug. Her popularity skyrockets and she has a chance for stardom, but is this new image one that she is comfortable projecting?

Angie Thomas has chosen to set her sophomore novel in the same fictionalized neighborhood as her uber-popular and critically acclaimed The Hate U Give, yet although some of the events from the fore mentioned novel are discussed, there is no overlapping of characters. Bri and her family are trapped in a dangerous neighborhood with little chance of pulling themselves out of poverty. Making it in the hip-hop world is a ticket out and the temptation to sell-out is alluring. Bri has to decide for herself the person that she wants to be and the people that she surrounds herself with. Fans of the first book will be equally pleased with this second novel. I almost liked it better. I enjoyed the glimpse into hip-hop culture and found the story compelling. Even though the book is long, it reads fast and I was never bored. There were moments of severe discomfort for me while reading, as Bri made a few bad choices and lost her temper. This is realistic for a teenage girl thrown into this world with little training and guidance. She works it out by the end, but there were times that I found her character very frustrating. There is a light romance that will please readers. Minor characters are also well fleshed out and interesting. Younger teens will enjoy this book, but because of the strong language, I think it is more appropriate for older readers.