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On the Come Up

by Angie Thomas

A young rapper finds her voice under pressure

Regular price $15.24 USD
Regular price $25.40 USD Sale price $15.24 USD
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Paperback New English

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Print BookCurrently viewing Paperback $15.24 USD$25.40 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

A young rapper finds her voice under pressure

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to build a future in hip-hop while living with the legacy of her late father, an underground rap figure. When her first song goes viral and is misrepresented by the media, her ambitions collide with school labels and her family’s financial insecurity, including the threat of eviction. Music, public perception, and the pressures facing a young Black artist shape the conflict, with Bri’s pursuit of a rap career set against the immediate need to help her family.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teen and young adult readers interested in stories about music and hip-hop culture.
  • Readers drawn to coming-of-age fiction about ambition, family pressures, and public perception.

Themes

Hip-hop and artistic ambitionFamily hardshipMedia portrayal and public perceptionFreedom of speechComing of age

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The YA love letter to hip-hop--streaming on Paramount+ September 23, 2022! Starring Sanaa Lathan (in her directorial debut), Jamila C. Gray, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Lil Yachty, Method Man, Mike Epps, GaTa (Davionte Ganter), Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Titus Makin Jr., and Michael Anthony Cooper Jr.

#1 New York Times bestseller - Seven starred reviews - Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons.

Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it--shehas to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.

Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn't always free.

"For all the struggle in this book, Thomas rarely misses a step as a writer. Thomas continues to hold up that mirror with grace and confidence. We are lucky to have her, and lucky to know a girl like Bri."--The New York Times Book Review

Plus don't miss Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas's powerful prequel to her phenomenal bestseller, The Hate U Give!

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