Hot damn!! Angie Thomas knows how to follow up a phenomenal book with an even better one (or almost better? I can't decide, they're both so damn good!). Angie Thomas is doing amazing things for young adult literature; her voice, her tone, her characters, and her battles are soo soo vital and important. On the Come Up follows Bri, a sixteen year old black girl who has her heart set on being a rapper. She lives in Garden Heights, a poor black community riddled with gang violence, drugs, and despair; but despite all that she still loves it. These are her people, her friends, and when she blows up as the next big thing, she'll be proud to represent the Garden. Bri's mom is pushing school on her, but it's a little hard to focus on the ACT when the heat is off and there is no food in the house. Her mom has just been fired from her job and her older brother is living at home after coming back from college with no job offers. They're trying to make ends meet, but it's hard to succeed when the cards are stacked against you. Bri is convinced that if her rapping career takes off then her family won't need to worry anymore, so instead of focusing on her grades she's putting her blood, sweat, and tears into getting her rap career off the ground, even if it means alienating her friends and family. What will it take to get Bri to realize that there is more then life then money? Will she end up like her father, an underground rap legend murdered by gang members? Empowering and inspiring; this book is a must read!
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