Not a Sequel Per Se
There are so many things to love about On the Come Up. The follow up novel to The Hate U Give, On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is not a sequel but does take place in the same town and does reference the events of The Hate U Give. The characters are clearly shaped and their actions are affected by those events, so while not totally necessary, I would suggest reading The Hate U Give before you read On the Come Up.
Learning to Love Rap
I didn’t know that On the Come Up was the story of a girl that wants to be a rapper. That’s the short summary, and had I known that, I probably wouldn’t have read it, even if it was by Angie Thomas. I read it without having any idea what it was about simply because it was by Angie Thomas and I was in love with the writing (again) before I figured out the book was about rap music. It’s not that I HATE rap music, per se, but as much music as I listen to (I have almost 100 GB of music on my computer) almost none of it is rap.
But Angie Thomas even overcame my lack of enthusiasm for rap with her writing. The way she writes about rap music is the way an elite athlete talks about their sport. It makes sense that she writes about rap so well. From her bio:
Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine with a picture included. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed.
I will admit, I even added a song or two on my phone including Sojourner by Rapsody and J. Cole because they made Bri’s list of could-be greatest rappers of all time.
“Damn, you’re a serious hip-hop head. All right. Who are your top five could-be goats?”
“Easy,” I say. “In no order, Remy Ma, Rapsody, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Joyner Lucas.”
“Solid. Who are your top five goats then?”“Okay, disclaimer: I actually have ten, but I’m gonna keep it to five,” I say, and Curtis chuckles. “Again, in no particular order, Biggie, ‘Pac, Jean Grae, Lauryn Hill, and Rakim.”
Love How Thomas Doesn’t Preach
Although rap does play a large part of the book, it is Thomas’s handling of sensitive topics without being preachy and her ability to present both sides of a subject that make me love her books so much. The main character, Bri, is unbelievably frustrating throughout most of the book. As a mother, I wanted to grab her and shake her for her stupidity (which was really just inexperience and naiveté). But at the same time, I remember being that young and frustrated when the adults around me would shut me out because I was “too young to understand.”
There is a confrontation between Bri and her mother where Thomas captures this dynamic perfectly. Bri’s mom just wants to protect her (rightfully so, Bri can’t see the whole picture because of her lack of experience) but she isn’t hearing the full story from Bri, and Bri thinks her mom isn’t listening (true) but doesn’t think her mom’s position is valid because she lacks the life experience to understand there is reason for her mom’s concern. Neither is 100% right and neither is 100% wrong.
Thomas is very adept at painting both sides of a situation as being partly right and wrong, and each having valid concerns. Whether it’s a confrontation between a mother and daughter, a police shooting (like in The Hate U Give), why families stay in the projects (a theme in both books), or why someone is in a gang, she is able to present information that breaks down stereotypes and makes the reader think beyond what they already believe.
Everyone Should Read On the Come Up
I’m a huge Angie Thomas fan. I love both her books, but I loved this one especially because of the relationship between Bri and her mother and because Angie Thomas is such a good writer she made me listen to rap music. No specific group to recommend this to, I would recommend this one across the board. Everyone should read On the Come Up.
