Concrete Rose

 

Concrete Rose
Angie Thomas

HarperCollins, 2021

360 pages

Grades 8-Up

Realistic/Historical Fiction

Maverick has it all figured out. He is about to start his senior year of high school, has a super-fly girlfriend, and is a member of the King Lords, a powerful gang that his daddy (now in jail) once led, now being led by his favorite cousin. Life comes crashing down when he discovers through a paternity test that his best friend's girlfriend, who he hooked up with for a minute, has given birth to his child. She dumps him with the baby and leaves him to figure it out and grow up fast. Lisa, Maverick's girlfriend, brakes up with him once she finds out him and his mother expects him to support and care for the baby, all while finishing school. This proves near impossible. Luckily, an elderly neighbor offers Maverick a job in his store. The job isn't glamorous and doesn't make much money, but it is a step in the right direction. Tragedy strikes to someone Maverick loves and depends on, setting him back even further. Should he delve deeper into the gang to seek revenge and kick over some much needed easy money? The decisions get even harder when Maverick discovers even more mess. Maverick's life could go in either direction based on the decisions he makes. Which way will he choose?

Thomas offers a prequel to the mega-popular Hate You Give, tracing the story of Starr's parents. The story is firmly set in the 90's of Thomas' childhood and is fully realized. It could almost be considered historical fiction, but I refuse to believe that a decade where I was already an adult is considered "history". I have to say-I loved this book, maybe even more than the original, which came as a surprise. Maverick, for all of his thug-life living, is a sympathetic and endearing character. I was cheering for his success and emotionally invested in his decisions. The story is riveting and will appeal to readers, but like it's companion novel, this book has a lot to say. Themes include the cycle of poverty, the importance of community, teen pregnancy, loyalty, and what it means to be a man. Maverick experiences a tremendous amount of growth within the pages of the book and although he makes some poor choices, he figures it out in the end and tries to fix things and move forward in a positive direction. Thomas manages to perfectly capture the voices of the characters and the time and I truly believed her story. What I would like to see next is the story of Maverick's father, now in prison, as a teenager in the 1970's. Here's hoping Thomas is willing to delve back even further.