On the Come Up

Author(s): Angie Thomas

Young Adult | Read our reviews!

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the centre of controversy and portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. And with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it – she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. Inspired by Angie’s mom losing her job when Angie was a teenager.


On the Come Up sheds light on child poverty in the US. Angie says: “Kids like Bri, who are facing homelessness and poverty, become statistics and numbers. Their stories are never told… I want to give those kids more books to see themselves in.” On the Come Up also draws on Angie’s experiences as a teen rapper. She says, “It takes us right back to Garden Heights post Khalil. Buildings are burned, and a struggling community is left in the ashes. Hip hop was birthed from similar conditions in the Bronx … [when] young people used their creativity to make themselves heard and so created one of the most influential cultures of modern history.”


The Hate U Give has been on the New York Times bestseller list since publication. It was also #1 on Amazon UK, and it has received numerous accolades, including winning the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. It is shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was named a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Teen Vogue Book of the Year. It was also voted one of Time Magazine's books of the year. The movie adaptation released in January 2019.

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STELLA'S REVIEW:


Angie Thomas won critical acclaim for her debut novel, The Hate U Give (T.H.U.G.), a sharp-edged and heartfelt teen novel that grappled with racial prejudice and violence, and with stopping the circle of violence. It was raw and beautiful both as a novel and as a film. Her second book, On the Come Up, looks at some of the same issues and at growing up in some of the poorest communities in America. Bri has a dream, just like many sixteen-year-olds, but the chance of her capturing this dream is proving elusive. Growing up poor, even when you are bussing to the school in the next neighbourhood (your local is too dangerous) where you might have an opportunity to gain a scholarship for college, means an empty fridge, the power’s often cut, and your brother, who should be in college continuing his study, is working at the local pizza shop. Add that Bri’s dream is to be a rap star (something her mother is okay with as long as her grades come first) and she can’t make enough to cut a track, her mom just lost her job, she's got  a crush on her best friend, her favourite aunt who has promised to help her make connections in the music world is too tied up in the drug world, and everyone is comparing her to her ‘famous’ dad who was the victim of a drive-by shooting, things aren’t looking so good. When Bri wins a rap competition (a bit like a sing-off), suddenly an opportunity arises that looks too good to be true — she’s got a new manager who is going to introduce her all the right people and they like her style — because she’s got it — the ability to make it big. Her rap goes viral, but it’s not what she expected. And this is where the story gets interesting — Bri is challenged to work out what she wants, what is important and how to be true to herself. Angie Thomas in On The Come Up confronts violence in black communities, the circular problems of drugs and gangs, and the stereotypes of colour — what white people think about you and what black people expect of you. As Bri gets increasingly frustrated by the situation she finds herself she is pushed to a place where she needs to make a decision about who she is and to confront what her culture means to her, not what it means to the music industry, the money makers and the gangs. Making it big will mean sacrifices and taking on a mantle she doesn’t feel comfortable with — her decision will change her place in the world — will it be a way out of the projects or swallow her whole? This is also a story about a young woman coming of age  looking behind the masks of posturing and preening, finding out about love and realising how necessary friendship and family are. Tough issues, sassy characters and plenty of truth.  


{STELLA}


Product Information

The highly anticipated second novel from one of the literary voices of a generation. The award-winning author of The Hate U Give returns with a powerful story about hip hop, freedom of speech and fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you.

Praise for 'The Hate U Give': "Stunning." --John Green "Absolutely riveting" --Jason Reynolds "This story is necessary. This story is important." --Kirkus (starred review) "Heartbreakingly topical." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A marvel of verisimilitude." --Booklist (starred review) "A powerful, in-your-face novel." --Horn Book (starred review) 

General Fields

  • : 9781406372168
  • : Walker Books Australia Pty, Limited
  • : Walker Books Australia
  • : 0.304
  • : September 2018
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Angie Thomas
  • : Paperback
  • : 1902
  • : 813.6
  • : 304
  • : YFB