Reviews with content warning for Abortion - Concrete Rose

I don't understand why his friend let him sleep with some girl and get her pregnant after he (Maverick) broke up with Lisa for TWO weeks.😠😠 Not only that, but after they got back together, Maverick confessed what he did (not right after), they broke up again, then got back together and slept with each other, then Lisa got pregnant. 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤 Not only that, but he got Lisa kicked out of her house, and now he got not one, but two girls pregnant. 😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤😤 I feel bad that Maverick lost his cousin, but even so, I am still mad at him.

Therefore, The only characters that have my respect are Carlos and Mrs. Carter as they are the best characters in this book and they are the only reasons why I didn't give this a low rating.

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storyphile's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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rachel1's review

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emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Concrete Rose tells the story of Maverick Carter, the father of the Starr from The Hate U Give, as a seventeen-year-old. The story is not a list of everything that happens to the character before the events of The Hate U Give, as a lot of big events happen after this story takes place. If that's what you were expecting, it may disappoint you. Instead, it focuses on this one year of his life, the year that his eldest son Seven is born and the year Lisa becomes pregnant with Starr. The book shows us his family, something we never see in The Hate U Give. But what this book is really about is to shine a light on the experiences of black teenage boys in lower-income neighbourhoods and to humanise them when others will demonise them, and to depict a different side of black life than The Hate U Give. The book serves humanise gang members and shows why people get stuck in gangs and why it may often be necessary, while not shying away from the inherent violence involved. It subverts stereotypes of black teenage parents -- Maverick, instead of abandoning his son like is stereotypical, instead raises him almost on his own. Lisa, instead of being portrayed as an irresponsible slut, is intelligent and responsible and trying desperately to do what she thinks is right for her unborn daughter. While she wants to have and keep this baby rather than have an abortion or give her up for adoption, the book doesn't depict either of the other two options as bad options, nor does it judge her for choosing to keep the baby. Iesha, Seven's mother, is also given a more sympathetic portrayal than she was in The Hate U Give, depicted as a teenage mother going through post-partum depression. That was one of my biggest issues with The Hate U Give, where Iesha was depicted as a whore and a gold-digger and was only really given any sympathy towards the end. While those issues are not gotten rid of entirely, she is still depicted as a gold-digger and judged for her sexuality, the added dimension to her character is an improvement. One of my issues is that the book ended quite abruptly. I didn't expect everything to happen in this book, we know the important stuff that happens to Maverick from The Hate U Give, we don't need to see it all, but I would like to see just a little more

Spoiler

perhaps ending with the birth of Starr

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Lately, it seems there are a lot of books out there, particularly young adult books, that feature main characters who are minorities struggling with young pregnancies and/or dangerous neighborhoods. While Black trauma is a tired storyline (more Black joy! More Black people just being regular people!), Concrete Rose has a good reason for its setting – it’s the prequel to The Hate U Give. There are some books that leave an imprint on the world… The Hate U Give is one of those. So how does the prequel – the story of Starr’s father Maverick – hold up?

It’s good. Really good. But it’s not great in the same way as The Hate U Give, so it’s important not to hold it to those expectations. It probably won’t change your life or make a deep, clarifying impression like The Hate U Give. But it’s also not trying to – this isn’t a book about social justice. It’s a book about the struggle to support and survive. And it’s written well – well enough that sometimes I forgot I already know how this story ends.

Angie Thomas is an excellent writer. When talking about her books, I think it’s very easy to talk about the important subject matter to the exclusion of all else. And the subject matter is important, don’t get me wrong, but I think we need to appreciate how skilled she is. Her novels are extremely accessible. Whether you are a 54-year-old white man living in the southern United States, or a Black teen in France, the characters are relatable and the message is universal. Her books asked for human decency, honesty, integrity, and hard work. They give us characters who find joy in small things, grieve together, and lift each other up. They beat the odds, even if it’s only in small ways. What’s not to love?

Concrete Rose follows Maverick Carter as he learns to navigate life as a highschooler who hasn’t been as careful as he should have been and ends up taking care of his three-month-old son when the mother abandons him. Maverick is a good father – he cares about his children deeply. He does his best, despite all of the odds being against him. His father is in prison, his mother is barely home because she has to work two jobs, and Maverick tries to make ends meet by selling drugs. With his cousin’s help, he tries to go clean, but the universe has other plans for both Maverick and Dre.

If you’re sensitive to reading about child care, pregnancy, and all the little bits and pieces that come along with that responsibility, this book is going to be difficult. Quite a lot of the book is about parenting and includes just about every bodily fluid you can think of in one scene or another. It’s not what I’m used to in YA, but because of this focus, Concrete Rose offers a unique perspective. Maverick stands apart from the stereotypes in that he is a responsible, loving father doing his best and most of the focus of the book is on teenage fatherhood, not his relationship troubles or the background gang warfare. It’s a perspective that wasn’t out there before, and important to both set an example and share diverse life experiences. For my own reasons, parts were difficult to listen to, but I appreciated the perspective.

If you like Angie Thomas‘ books, this is an absolute must read. It’s a worthy prequel to her debut, but it’s also a good book on its own. Knowing that Concrete Rose is about Starr‘s father is just a bonus. If you haven’t already picked it up, I recommend reading this one.

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kalzeb's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

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