by Angie Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Identity, Coming of Age, Racial Justice
What Went Down: Bri struggles to find her own as she navigates her personal trauma, her neighborhood trauma, and understanding her own gifts and voice. She is an unbelievably talented rapper, and yet, at the beginning of the book, she relies on her aunty to promote her music, and although she is passionate, confident, and loyal, she is lost when it comes to the business end of things required to promote her niece. Bri then begins relying on a manager who expects Bri to play a role that is not true to herself. Throughout the book, Bri is hot headed, she jumps to conclusions, she makes decisions that put her future and that of her family in jeopardy. “Jackson’s don’t cry,” she repeats throughout the book. So as she figures out who she is, and how to reach for her dreams, she makes her own life harder and harder. By the end, Bri learns to trust the people who have her back, the people who are willing, able, ready, and interested in her personal well being and growth, and that of her music. She starts to figure out, slowly, who she is and where she is going.
Pro: The side characters. I love her relationship with Malik and Sonny. I loved the idea that she had never really noticed Curtis because she was so wrapped up in her own idea that she was an outsider, she never looked to bring other people inside her world. She also notes at one point, that the more people who come into her world, the more chance for people to leave it. I loved that Angie Thomas stayed in the same neighborhood as The Hate U Give, but gave us a new perspective. (Sidenote: the murder of the boy mentioned throughout the book, that was supposed to be Khalil, right?). JAY WAS THE BOMB
Less than Pro: Miles being mystery boy was a little bit obvious. I am pretty oblivious to clues in my entertainment, and I called this pretty early. But honestly, I didn’t care. It was fun to guess something that was coming up.
