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wren_in_black 's review for:
Concrete Rose
by Angie Thomas
This book is the type of story so many young people need to read but so few can find. It's not often we see books about young fathers, especially young black fathers.
Angie Thomas doesn't shy away from the tough stuff. We should all know that by now. Concrete Rose is a prequel to [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] and it focuses on Maverick Carter. Fans of Starr Carter will love her father just as much as they do her, but I want to be clear that "Mav" shines as a character in his own right. Even if this were a standalone book, it would stand loud and proud all on its own merit.
Maverick has grown up in the gang life. His family are King Lords. It's all he knows and it's all that will keep him safe. So, Mav is a King Lord too. He and his best friend sell a little weed with the gang, but they also sling some of the harder stuff on the side in order to make money. And boy, does Mav need money, because his best friend's infant son just might be HIS infant son. Money is already tight since his Pops is in jail for 40 to life. A baby won't make anything any easier.
I love how this book takes an unflinching look at the difficulties of poverty, urban decay, gang life as a means of survival, the drive for revenge, love for family, and the consequences of our mistakes. What makes this book stellar is its supporting cast of adult characters who may not have life all figured out, but who are supportive without trying to "fix" Maverick. These are the kind of role models that so many teenagers need in their lives.
This is a beautiful story. It's shorter than its companion novel and the writing took me (a middle class white woman and an English teacher) a little while to get used to. Almost no present tense verbs use -s or -es and it took me a while to wrap my head around it. I am, however, glad to see a popular book that is narrated in the way that many of my students speak. For those that have difficulty with the writing style, I recommend the audiobook. I didn't listen to it here, but I'm familiar with the narrator and I know this story is worth absorbing, no matter if you read it with your eyes or your ears.
Angie Thomas doesn't shy away from the tough stuff. We should all know that by now. Concrete Rose is a prequel to [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give (The Hate U Give, #1)|Angie Thomas|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476284759l/32075671._SY75_.jpg|49638190] and it focuses on Maverick Carter. Fans of Starr Carter will love her father just as much as they do her, but I want to be clear that "Mav" shines as a character in his own right. Even if this were a standalone book, it would stand loud and proud all on its own merit.
Maverick has grown up in the gang life. His family are King Lords. It's all he knows and it's all that will keep him safe. So, Mav is a King Lord too. He and his best friend sell a little weed with the gang, but they also sling some of the harder stuff on the side in order to make money. And boy, does Mav need money, because his best friend's infant son just might be HIS infant son. Money is already tight since his Pops is in jail for 40 to life. A baby won't make anything any easier.
I love how this book takes an unflinching look at the difficulties of poverty, urban decay, gang life as a means of survival, the drive for revenge, love for family, and the consequences of our mistakes. What makes this book stellar is its supporting cast of adult characters who may not have life all figured out, but who are supportive without trying to "fix" Maverick. These are the kind of role models that so many teenagers need in their lives.
This is a beautiful story. It's shorter than its companion novel and the writing took me (a middle class white woman and an English teacher) a little while to get used to. Almost no present tense verbs use -s or -es and it took me a while to wrap my head around it. I am, however, glad to see a popular book that is narrated in the way that many of my students speak. For those that have difficulty with the writing style, I recommend the audiobook. I didn't listen to it here, but I'm familiar with the narrator and I know this story is worth absorbing, no matter if you read it with your eyes or your ears.