Concrete Rose - Angie Thomas

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⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Beans)

This is the prequel to The Hate U Give. It’s takes place 17 years before the events of that book and focuses on Maverick Carter, the dad of the story.

17 year old Mav is a product of growing up in the hood: his father is in jail, his mother is working two jobs to make ends meet, and he just started selling drugs to try to bring in some big money. Then he finds out the girl he slept with is pregnant.

This story was awesome. Shows the life of black boyhood and everything that comes along with that. It was also incredibly touching. He wants to be a good dad so much but he’s only 17 and doesn’t really know what to do. All the while experiencing loss from gangbanging, being influenced by the many different people in his life trying to help him, and trying to graduate from high school.

I think it’s safe to say that Angie Thomas is one of the best story tellers of our generation. Her characters are complex and very real, and she portrays what seems like a very realistic story. I teared up quite a few times reading this one because it was so touching. I didn’t think it was as good as the hate u give but still amazing and worth reading.

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