Sixteen-year-old Bri Jackson dreams of becoming a famous rapper. After a successful rap battle in a local ring, Bri finally gets her big break and records her first song. But the guns and gangsters that she raps about aren’t who she is; they were rhymes crafted by how she believes others see her as an African American in a poor neighborhood. Reactions come from all sides, some love the song while others want it removed from the internet. Bri just wants to “make it” so that she can help her family survive. In order to do that, she will have to embrace this new image, but will she lose herself now that she is finally on the come up? Just like in The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas delivers a powerful story that will stay with you long after you finish reading. -Rebecca, Atlanta
“For her sophomore book, Thomas gives us a heroine — Brianne — who is struggling against both her family’s expectations as well as those of white people as she tries to make her way doing what she loves: rapping. We follow her through ups and downs as she navigates racism at her school and the expectations of black girls in the music world. Excellently written and incredibly unputdownable, you will cheer and cry as Bri makes her way!”
— Melissa Fox, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, KS
#1 New York Times bestseller · Seven starred reviews · Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
“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
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—she has 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.
Angie Thomas is the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of The Hate U Give and On the Come Up. A former teen rapper who holds a BFA in creative writing, Angie was born, raised, and still resides in Mississippi. You can find her online at www.angiethomas.com.
