I’m a huge fan of Angie Thomas’ writing. I read The Hate U Give and it became one of my all-time favourite YA books. I read On the Come Up and I found it challenging, unflinching and real. I was just a little bit excited to read her newest book and prequel to The Hate U Give, Concrete Rose. It didn’t disappoint.
Concrete Rose is the story of Starr’s father, Maverick Carter, at a crucial moment in his life. When we meet Mav, he’s in high school and a member of the King Lords (it’s in his blood – his Dad is one and is in prison). He has a girlfriend who is widely agreed to be too good for him, and a cousin who gives him the family support he needs. Then his world gets turned upside down. He finds out he’s a Dad, and the baby’s mother takes off, leaving him to care for his three month old son solo.
Now, as any of you who’ve had kids know, parenthood is tough. It has a steep learning curve and no do-overs. Life after a kid bears little to no resemblance to life before one. This goes double if you’re still a kid yourself and trying to do it on your own. On top of this, his girlfriend has now found out about a one night stand he had while they were split up (leading to his baby), and she’s left him. He’s still got school to try and finish and bills to pay. But on top of that, now that he’s a Dad, he’s realizing that he wants to not only live to see his son grow up, but that he wants to try and walk a better path for him. So dealing drugs, which had been an easy way to make some quick cash before, is out.
The book centres around these conflicts, as well as a few more thrown in that I won’t tell you about because spoilers. Suffice it to say, shit’s about to get real. But, in true Angie Thomas style, Maverick isn’t going to be defeated, and he’s not giving up on his decision to be there for his son. He has some hard decisions to make, and some issues to sort out, but he’s a lot stronger and more resilient than anyone thinks. With a few people on his side and some good advice, he works hard to figure out how to be a Dad, finish school, and stay away from the King Lords.
Normally Angie Thomas’ books take a bit of time to settle for me. I’ll love them right away, but it might take a few weeks or a few months for their impact to really become clear. I expect this will be the same. I loved it – of course I did. Maverick is a complex character, believably impulsive and stubborn for a teenager, but also with hints at the person he will become when we see him in The Hate U Give. I love that he’s headed down an all-too familiar path, but that he changes course. It’s not easy. It takes sacrifice and hard work, but he does it. I feel like this story told from this angle isn’t something I’ve seen that often, and one that needs to be read.
International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.
If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man. – Goodreads
Book Title: Concrete Rose
Author: Angie Thomas
Series: The Hate U Give #0
Edition: Paperback/Audiobook
Published By: Balzer + Bray
Released: January 12, 2021
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, Prequel, Race, Growing Up
Pages: 368
Date Read: July 12-13, 2021
Rating: 9/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.45/5 (31,920 ratings)