On the Come Up by Angie Thomas review – another YA hit

This joyous follow-up to The Hate U Give, about a teenage rapper, shows talent and ambition challenging stereotypes

Angie Thomas’s bestselling 2017 debut The Hate U Give was the story of a 16-year-old who witnesses the police shooting of a friend. The follow-up focuses on another 16-year-old, Brianna “Bri” Jackson, who is trying to lift her family out of poverty with her rapping talent. Her life is a struggle. Her rapper father was shot dead 12 years previously by a rival gang. Her mother, Jay, has been clean of crack for eight years, but Bri constantly fears a relapse. Her beloved Aunty Pooh sells drugs, while her paternal grandmother is disdainful of Jay’s ability to care for Brianna and her brother, Trey. Often, the family has to choose between gas, electricity or food.

Bri has talent. She has the lyrics, the knowledge and the passion. When she raps “Strapped like backpacks, I pull triggers. All the clips on my hips change my figure” she is challenging the hoodlum stereotype, but the public see it as a boast. Soon she has gained notoriety as the dangerous, angry black girl from the projects – a persona that, according to her father’s old manager, could make her serious money.

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from Books | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2HFR8ic

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