On The Come Up

Summary

Sixteen-year old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big. Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours out her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral... for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon find herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it, she has to. Even if it means something the very public has made her out to be.

Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation, Angie Thomas. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young Black people, freedom of speech isn't always free.

Prelude:

So, over the summer I went to this program and while I was there I had a couple book readings. One of which was On The Come Up by Angie Thomas. Usually, school readings are never too fun, even though I enjoy reading, but Thomas' novel had me hooked from beginning to end. While at the program I also began to dissect and take heavy notes on the characters and themes from the novel. Seeing how they reflect Black people and/or the media and its representation of us in real life. While I didn't finish the novel then as the program ended before we could really dive deep into the final part of the book, in late August I picked it back up as I was curious on how the novel ended. Frankly, I was not disappointed. It was pure enjoyment, fascination, and made me very nostalgic of the friends I made and the time that passed. This is a genuinely great book and I'm happy to share my review on it.

Review:

This is a book of many strengths and the one most evident to me when reading this novel was the relatability of its main character Bri. Bri's a Black girl growing up in a tough neighborhood who wants to make it big in the rap game but life seems to kick her down at every turner. Bri struggles but isn't a cry baby and refuses to let any situation get the best of her (in terms of sheer determination). From the beginning of the book the reader hears of her dream, to be a well known rapper and the path that lays ahead of her, while the shadow of her father's legacy stands tall behind her. It's an underdog story done right with quick hooks and appeals to the reader's pathos that hit home very well. On top of that Bri and her friends are all very realistic and they felt real. I knew they could exist due to their circumstances, dialogue, and actions. As if they were all people I'd see pass me on the walk to the bus or in the halls of my school. A character that I felt for was Bri's mother, who's fate I won't spoil, but her situation and how she was trying to make things right but often failed and how things turned out for her by the end of the book really made me want to give her an honest hug. Her redemption arc is one of the best I've seen in fiction. Unrelated but Trey is one of the realest dudes out there. Being the oldest and having to hold the fort down made me have empathy for him and his choice to stay and help with his family. Man, that's beautiful but also all too common in Black households. Black men are often forgotten when it comes to their emotions and society places a big chip on their shoulder at birth to always "man up" so seeing Trey go through that but still be as open as he can around his sister and his mother is very heartwarming. Trey is Bri's older brother and he was in college but had to leave in order to support Bri and his mother in Garden Heights, a very tough neighborhood where another well known character from another novel, Starr, lives. The whole family dynamic of those three alone would have sold the book to me but there are also a lot of other characters who get to shine.

The twist about Milez/Rapid one that I did not see coming but am happy took place. Bri's other friends like Sonny and Malik were really fleshed out, maybe not so much on their home lives but rather on their personalities. While fleshed out main characters is a given in many narratives Sonny and Malik stand out for how real they are towards themselves and Starr. All of their dialogue feels as if it could come from a living breathing person and it's really cool. There's no outdated slang thrown in to make them sound "hood" or "cool" and instead Sonny and Malik are simply themselves which I can dig. Individually they're both very strong as well. Sonny's mainly comedic relief but still has his heartfelt moments, one of which towards the end I enjoyed a lot, and Malik is seen as more of a love interest. As a character within the story I didn't like Malik as much as the other two people in his friend group but in order to discuss why I'd get into spoiler content which is not the move so I'll leave it at that. As a character in supporting the narrative he does his job I, personally, just find some of his actions very questionable. There are a lot of great characters in this novel from Curtis and how he acts towards Bri, which I could really see things going the same way in real life, to Aunt Pooh and her gradual descent disguised as a rise in the eyes of Bri. Another off topic but Supreme gave me Biggie vibes for some reason. Probably for his grand imposing character which I found to be pretty cool. However, time to get off of the characters and on to the story.

The plot is simply rich. It's a roller coaster ride the whole way through and I mean that in a good way. It's shocking moments aren't shocks just for wanting to bring out that feeling in the reader but rather Thomas lets the reader understand why the shock matters. She has big plot heavy moments and then explores them which I thoroughly enjoy. Just enough is answered to where I feel a subplot was handled well and wrapped up but there could also be a little room for more exploration which I believe is perfect. A great example of this would be in Jay, my favorite character in the novel, and her struggles with life. Through her sister, her kids, and money issues things take turns in both positive and negative directions that I did not expect and each time I was emotionally invested and that's great on a storytelling perspective The section of the story concerning Curtis and Bri's relationship is very strong as well and that's due to how the plot understands how to juggle ideas. Some plot lines are given the time they deserve, such as Bri wanting to be a full fledged rapper, while the smaller ones are treated with care and it doesn't take away from the main course. An example of this would be Bri and Curtis' relationship and how it's treated with importance but never takes over the main plot in words. The plot overall, moves at a steady pace but drags a little bit in the middle for me. Maybe because it felt like stretches of time would pass where nothing happened or because plot twists weren't as impactful to the overall narrative here but I felt it could've been handled a little better. Nonetheless, it's near flawless.

Lastly, how this novel not only handles Black movements in modern day America but also Black representation in the media is definitely something to be praised. Light spoilers in this paragraph only but when Bri has a song that is supposed to shed light on Black problems taken way out of proportion by the media a fire ignited in me. Not only is it something that happens regularly but I read it and experienced it on a more personal level that the general populous never gets in real life unless a documentary are made on the person. Instead of seeing the events unfold only through news outlets we saw how it started from the inside and that's powerful. Too often people forget that those taking charge in addressing issues are human beings with emotions and this books reminds us that these are all real people, real people need consolation and can get confused too. The Hate U Give is also great in that regard but from the close connection built early on with the characters in this novel it has a bigger impact. Bri's conflicting thoughts on being the head of a movement is also very interesting as most people don't even think about how that affects the individual and whether or not they really want to be up there for the whole world to see. A lot of resurgences in Black movements start and the individual who is at the center often carries the weight whether they'd like to or not. In terms of realism and making the reader think in terms of these issues Thomas nails it.

Overall, On The Come Up is a great novel. From its rich entertaining plot to its interesting, complex, and real characters it's honestly an enjoyable read. Of course I expected no less from Thomas having read The Hate U Give in 10th grade which I enjoyed a lot and when I heard a new novel of hers was coming out I wondered if she could top the last. Of course, she did. I give this book 4.5/5 diamonds, a definite recommend. Seriously, if you have not checked out this book already I suggest you do. It was great the whole way through and the way it handles commentary concerning Black movements in America is absolutely phenomenal. Angie Thomas is truly an amazing writer and I can't wait to see what will come from her next.

I await your come up...

#onthecomeup #angiethomas #yanovel #rap #hiphop #THUG #thehateugive #tupac #biggie #wutangclan #trending