The Hate U Give & On the Come Up by Angie Thomas / Powerful and a must read!!

The Hate U Give & On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

I picked up The Hate U Give in October of 2017 and was literally blown away by it. It gave me goosebumps! And it was one of the most eye-opening books for someone growing up White, in Europe, and in an area where there were NO black people at all, except for American military. It’s frightening to know that people fear for their life every day. Mother’s fear for their husbands and sons life, only because their skin color isn’t white.

The one thing I learned in the past week (May/June 2020) is that if a topic makes me uncomfortable, it might be because I need to think, read and talk about it more.

This post contains affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission from any purchases you make through these links. 

THE HATE U GIVE

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

ON THE COME UP

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. 

The Hate U Give & On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

MY THOUGTHS

What makes these books so chilling and must read for me is because they are timely, current, no-frill, and heartbreaking.

THE HATE U GIVE

I was incredibly touched by THUG and the importance of the message. And the striking difference of the main characters life to mine was SHOCKING.

Raw and authentic, THUG frightened me to the bones at times. I never encountered anything like the author depicts in my own life, and can’t even imagine how it must have been growing up in such neighborhoods or feeling such horrifying fear towards police.

The Hate U Give could have easily turned into a bleak and dreary account of violence, racism, and police brutality. But instead the author took the opportunity to tell a story that captivated, gave hope, and lifted the spirit. She did a marvelous job of balancing the chillingly reality with a dose of sass and wit thanks to the main character and her family. 

This is what I thought in 2017 and it’s still the same today:

I can not emphasis this enough – The Hate U Give should be a MUST READ for EVERYONE. I’ll be recommending it to all of my friends and booklovers. It’s one of those books that stay with you because it covers such a current and important topic, and brings awareness to a situation that is going on all around the country. It’s so easy to forget about it if it doesn’t touch you personally, and seeing it on the news makes no difference either, we are becoming almost desensitized it. But somehow reading this book brought it (the topic) closer than ever before. It was like living it, being a part of it, and I was truly feeling PETRIFIED at times.

ON THE COME UP

ON THE COME UP was equally fascinating, and again the book depicted perfectly what it means to be colored in the US.

Now what was interesting about ON THE COME UP was that the author took music, lyrics, and the hope of a better future and turned it into a unputdownable story.

Although I can’t do anything with music. I’m literally tone deaf (exaggeration but not that much of one), can’t remember lyrics (truth), and rarely listen to music at all (it has been 100% audiobooks for years). But the way the author meshes it all together, topics of police profiling and brutality in high schools, a very outspoken heroine, music and lyrics that were touching, thought provoking, and delivers a story that was as important, timely, and fascinating as THUG, that’s when I sit up and realize this author is someone I want to read more of.

Her books are well written, thoughtful, and eye opening. The characters are interesting, entertaining and always engaging. And her books are touching on subjects that are usually only covered in evening news.

ABOUT THE AUDIOBOOKS

Thanks to the amazing narration by Bahni Turpin both audiobooks were amazing!!! Some of the best I’ve listened to. The voices felt absolutely authentic, vibrant, distinct, and they jumped off the pages. And the rapping in ON THE COME UP was just incredible. Bahni Turpin gave a masterful performance!!!!

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR || GET THUG & ON THE COME UP

The Hate U Give & On the Come Up by Angie Thomas