On the Come Up

I’m a school social worker at a juvenile detention center, and I commonly bring books (usually high quality YA Lit) for the kids to read when they are not in school. Many of our kids are not great students and few were readers before they came here, but many kids read for pleasure now. Last year alone, well over 30 kids read “The Hate U Give” and many were eagerly awaiting “On the Come Up.” When I brought it to school last week, many of the kids’ faces absolutely lit up, and they are now engrossed in the novel. When I arrived today, one of the kids told me he was done and asked for “another Angie Thomas book.” I laughed and explained he’s already read them, so I’d have to bring him something else. In any case, it is another fantastic, relatable book, especially for the kids I have here at the JDC. They can relate to the themes, characters, and experiences, as most have grown up in complicated family systems and in communities not dissimilar from Garden Heights. Thomas is a great writer, and with “On The Come Up,” I think she captured the language (her characters sound like my kids–even more so than in THUG). Well done, and we’ll be eagerly waiting her third novel.

Honestly, I wasn’t that blown away by this novel. It holds your interest but it’s simply not as good as THUG. My feelings may be due in part to the fact that I’m simply not a huge fan of hip hop. I also wasn’t so keen on all the profanity in the book especially for young readers. I wish rappers could get their point across without all the cussin smh. It would’ve also been nice to see Bri excel academically and actually take her education more seriously. We can be more than rappers.

I actually liked this book a lot better than The Hate You Give. The Hate You Give was an important book, but there were a lot of unnecessary scenes and even unnecessary characters. The pacing was slow at times, and the story seemed to drag on. I still liked that book, but it wasn’t my favorite. This book shows the author’s growth. The charactes are all gripping and there is not a dull moment. I read the book in two days. The message of the story will stick with you. This is definately worth the read and one I will probably return to in the near future.

Reading this young-adult novel, I realized that — likely since I’m now much older and a bit more jaded — I’m not as prone to simply assume (as did some characters in this story) that hip-hop incites violence. Granted, I’m not an ardent fan of that music genre. Yet I’m more willing to see it as poetry addressing social injustices and real-life inner turmoil. The story called to my mind how such lyrics may be disquieting to mindsets in the U.S. that are more suburban, conservative, and (if I may phrase it so) colonialist. Here, high-school student Bri’s passion to perform is tested by the pressures of her deceased dad’s rap legacy, as well as the music industry’s own demands (along with its misogynistic attitudes), and Bri’s own preparations for college entrance exams. As the story progresses, Bri’s lyrics vent against campus racism. But will this result in her music being censored, and her being virtually labeled a hoodlum? More urgently, will a music career prove a ticket for her family to escape compounding financial hardships? While I more strongly favor the author’s first novel, don’t misunderstand — this book, too, turned out enjoyable for me. The ending here may have seemed a bit ideal, but true to life, not all turned out rosy for everyone. I felt grateful to get acquainted with Bri’s family and each of her closest peers. I grinned at some lyrical “sick burns” and I laughed seeing how gossip was prized at the church that Bri’s family attended. I welcomed the implied ties to “The Hate U Give” and even a nod to a certain Becky Albertalli novel.

Last year I read Thomas’s The Hate U Give and loved it, so I was committed to reading her new novel. Unfortunately, this one just doesn’t rise to the same standard. While THUG felt like a fairly realistic portrayal of a police shooting scenario with nuanced characters, On The Come Up mostly feels like suffering porn that transfers into wish fulfillment in the last 70 or so pages. To give a brief plot summary, the book stars Briana (goes by Bri) Jackson, a young would-be rapper living in Garden Heights. After being manhandled by her schools security staff for no good reason, Bri becomes a viral sensation with her song ‘On the come up’, claiming that if people are going to treat her like a thug, she may as well act like one. But while the song is popular, it is also popular with people who want to take it the wrong way. Bri is faced with deciding if she wants to continue acting like a thug to further her hip hop career. If I could come up with one word to describe On the Come up, it would be ‘overstuffed’. Let me give a quick run down on all the problems touched on in this book. -Security at Bri’s school racially profiling black and latino students, and the schoolboard not taking those concerns seriously. -Bri being exploited by record execs into ruining her public image as a thug, thinking it would help them sell records. -Bri’s father being shot by gangsters when she was four years old. -Bri’s mother being a recovering drug addict. -Bri’s mother losing her job and struggling to find another because she’s a recovering drug addict -Bri’s brother struggling to find a job in his field after graduating college and his struggle with student loans -Bri’s gay friend deciding to meet a guy she met online -Bri’s religious grandparents shaming her mother for being a drug addict who can’t take care of her kids. -Prison (no spoilers) -Frequent asides giving woke takes on pop culture subjects (Star Wars, Black Panther, etc.) With so many issues, there is no time to develop the plot lines in any satisfying way. Several of the characters have a last minute change of heart in the last few pages that in no way feels earned. Also, the world building came off has half-baked. Bri gains some level of fame for her song, yet the racial violence she experienced at her school never become a high profile issue the way the police shooting did in the last book. And this isn’t helped by the fact that Bri herself is…not smart. The first thing she does in the book is fail to even take a test at school because she’s so distracted by rapping. Add in a few other bad decisions later in the book, and it becomes hard to root for her. Overall, I can’t really say I liked this book. I’d recommend you go read The Hate U Give instead.

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