So, people might believe I’m jumping on some sort of bandwagon, but the truth is I’ve been doing the work of dismantling and educating myself for the past two years. I still have a long way to go to chip away at my internalized racist beliefs. And I’ve loved listening to and sharing black voices that I’ve found erupting lately. I’ve shared some of my voice on social media on the issue of racism, to apologize, to show up, to listen, to affirm, and show solidarity. But as my black pastor, Osheta, has taught, this is a marathon! Baby steps. Remember, self-care.
Here is a little baby step that I should have shared a long time ago when I FIRST wrote it. I love reading about hard-hitting issues such as systemic racism and even slavery through the lens of fiction. I’m currently tackling Children of Blood and Bone and it is quickly rising to my top book slots along with Strange, the Dreamer and Nora and Kettle – both works that also deal with racism and prejudice in different forms and genres. While non-fiction is especially important for dissecting on a psychological and structural level, I also believe it’s important to give adults and youth the ability to latch onto the emotions through characters that can truly reach their hearts.
Truth be told, I have probably a dozen blog posts in my inbox just waiting to be shared. Unfortunately, this was one review of a black author’s work that got lost in my inbox, though I did have it on Bookbub and GR. I fell in love with Angie Thomas’s voice over the past two years and did share The Hate U Give on my blog. I’m still torn as to which book I found more powerful! Perhaps the reason I didn’t get to share right away is because I suffered from a mass book hangover. Or because it is very simple for me to write reviews and much harder to post them. Because I’m weird that way.
In one sentence: I absolutely loved On the Come Up!
In fact, it deserves some bold Caps. I LOOOOOOOVED ON THE COME UP!
Despite the fact that The Hate U Give was made into a film and is undoubtedly the more popular, in many ways, I honestly became engrossed with this book and the protagonist, Bri.
Angie Thomas has a background as a rapper, and it seemed like so much of her voice rang out in this work. Angie is one of those authors who can bridge the divide between white and black audiences and yet, The Hate U Give became more popular with its portrayal of a black girl in white culture who felt the necessity to censor herself and act less hood-ish or less black.
But I, on the other hand, adored how Bri didn’t give a heck. This book shows the reality of a black family struggling with the loss of a father figure, substance abuse in the past, and poverty. It shows the desperation and the impossible choices that must be made by families in these sorts of situations. Situations anyone should empathize with. It shows the chronic, internal rage of living with systemic racism. In some ways, there was more emotion throughout On the Come Up while there was a slow build-up to activated rage in The Hate U Give. However, we get to latch onto Bri’s rage in the very beginning of this book! (No Spoilers)
I also love how Angie’s faith glows in different sections. Especially when Bri references how she has no problem with Jesus, just His people, which should be incredibly sobering for the Church in America. When Angie injects contemporary truths that speak to real-life issues going on today but in subtle ways whether it be the state of black communities across the nation, single parent struggles, former drug addicts now clean, unemployment, welfare etc, that is the exact type of book we need.
For young people and for adults.
As for Bri, she has confidence and even overconfidence that shines out in On The Come Up and spoke to my Enneagram 8 heart. She refuses to quit. She refuses to let other people define her. She is flawed, human, and relatable.
And at the risk of sounding too tweeny, the raps in this book are “off the hook”!
Bri learns some worthy and sometimes dangerous lessons about her voice and the impact it can have on others. She experiences growth but never loses her outstanding identity and voice.
A must-read for everyone!