Published: 2019
Author: Angie Thomas
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Music, Race, Coming Of Age, Teen
Audience (Grade Levels): High School; Grades 9–12
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: On the Come Up
Triggers: Poverty, threat of homelessness, drug addiction (recovering parent), racism, suspensions, street trouble, grief (death of a parent)
Review By: Heather Sugar
Publisher’s Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.
On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.
Review:
Another book by Angie Thomas that I feel does not disappoint. This book stars Bri, who is trying to not only honor her late father, but follow in his footsteps by becoming a rapper. Her mother, who is a recovering drug addict, wants her to focus on school, but that’s hard to do when the heat gets turned off, she has no idea what (or if) food will be available on a daily basis, and her mother has been laid off from her job, leaving only her older brother to be working for the family. She and her Aunt Pooh have a goal and a motto: their goal is “the come up” – when they make it big in the rap scene; their motto is “the sky’s the limit.” She has the ability to hear one word, and turn it into a rhyming phrase – she’s confident her talents can take her far. Unfortunately for Bri, her temper tends to get the best of her quite frequently, resulting in suspensions from school, and even some trouble on the streets.
Bri’s tenacity and determination combine to keep her going, no matter what other obstacles are thrown in her way. This book navigates Bri through her struggles to make it big, do it her way, and at the same time, discover herself and learn a thing or two about life.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA / Literature: Excellent for exploring contemporary realistic fiction, first-person narrative voice, lyricism as poetry, and analyzing character arcs centered around self-discovery and perseverance.
- Social Studies / Modern History: Connects deeply to discussions about systemic racism, socio-economic challenges, food insecurity, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the cultural history of hip-hop as a medium for social commentary.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): High school students can analyze Bri’s struggle with anger management, processing grief, resisting negative peer expectations, and discovering her authentic self under severe societal and economic pressure.
Diversity & Representation:
Angie Thomas provides powerful, authentic, and multi-dimensional representation of working-class Black families navigating systemic obstacles. Through the depiction of Bri’s family, the novel explores the harsh realities of poverty, the cycle of drug addiction and recovery, and the strength found in tight-knit community structures, validating the lived experiences of marginalized youth.
Readalikes:
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
- Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson
