Bibliographic Information:
- Title: Concrete Rose
- Author: Angie Thomas
- ISBN: 9780063043817
- Publisher: Balzer and Bray
- Copyright Date: January 11, 2021
- Audiobook Narrator: Dion Graham
- Duration: Approximately 8 hours
Audiobook Quality: The sound quality of the audiobook was excellent. The narration was clear with no static or glitches. The narrators voice was enjoyable to listen to. The performance of Dion Graham received 4.9 out of 5 stars on Audible.com (2021). Graham’s performance is described as “exquisite” and “truly exceptional.”
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Social Justice, Coming of Age, Urban Fiction.
Format: Audiobook
Awards/Honors: New York Times Bestseller
Reading level/Interest Level: Teen- Grades 10-12, Ages 15-18 (Baker & Taylor, Titlesource360)
Plot Summary: In this prequel to The Hate U Give, Seventeen year old Maverick Carter needs to grow up fast! Maverick discovers that he has a baby, and the mother cannot care for him. Since his father is in jail, Maverick must help his mother pay bills and take care of their home, and now he needs to learn how to be a father, as well. Maverick decides to stop dealing drugs which had been a great source of income. He also tries to cut ties with his gang, The King Lords, that has been part of his life since he was born. He takes a job at local convenience store and learns the value of hard work. Mav dedicates his time to work and raising his son. When tragedy strikes his family and Mav receives an unwanted surprise, he finds his life upended again.
The title Concrete Rose is based on the poem “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur. The rose, a symbol of beauty, represents that someone can become something coming from a place that is not recognized as great- the concrete, which is hard and has no nourishment (Mond, 2017).
Author Background: Angie Thomas is an author, speaker, producer, activist, and former rapper. Her three books, The Hate U Give, On the Come Up, and Concrete Rose, are all New York Times best sellers. In 2018, The Hate U Give was made into a major motion picture. A movie is is in development for On the Come Up, as well. In 2020, Angie released Find Your Voice: A Guided Journal to Writing Your Truth as a tool to help aspiring writers tell their stories.
Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still lives in Jackson, Mississippi. She has a BFA in creative writing from Belhaven University. Her first book, The Hate You Give, started as a a senior project in college. According to Thomas (N.D.) “I look at books as being a form of activism. Sometimes they’ll show us a side of the world that we might not have known about before; they can promote empathy.” Tupac Shakur has had a great influence on her writing.
Critical Evaluation: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is well-written and fast-paced. The characters are well developed and I felt as if I genuinely knew and cared about them by the middle of the book. The book is set in Garden Heights, seventeen years prior to the story in The Hate U Give. It is told by Maverick’s (Starr’s father) point of view and it was interesting to learn the male perspective on life in Garden Heights and coming of age. According to the author, “Concrete Rose delves into the importance of Black community through the lens of a Black boy on the cusp of adulthood, facing the prospect of leaving a neighborhood gang to give his child a better life” (Grey, 2021). Maverick, the protagonist, is likable character. Despite his inner-city upbringing and roots to a gang, he was kind, compassionate, and caring. His love for his family and his desire to turn his life around are inspiring.
Teens and adults will like this audiobook (or print book) regardless of their demographic due to the story and character development. Even though it is a prequel to The Hate U Give, this book stands on its own. The story is thought provoking and addresses racism in a “non-preachy” manner. I was sorry when this book ended and hope to see more about Maverick and his family from Angie Thomas in the future.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Since Maverick, the protagonist, got two girls pregnant while he was still in high school, I would love to have someone from Planned Parenthood come speak to the teens about birth control. However, since no one would show up to this program, I would have a discussion about the books Concrete Rose and The Hate U Give, and show the movie, The Hate U Give, instead.
Speed-Round Book Talk: In this prequel to The Hate You Give, Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years earlier. Seventeen year old Maverick Carter needs to grow up quickly when he discovers that he is a father. He needs to help his mom with money, support his child, finish high school, and break ties with the gang that has been part of his life since childhood. If you are a fan of Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, and Jacqueline Woodson, this book is for you!
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: As of today, 3/11/2021, there have been no challenges to Concrete Rose that I could find. However, there were challenges to The Hate U Give so I expect that challenges will arise. In 2017, The Hate U Give was banned by school officials in Katy, Texas for being “pervasively vulgar” and for the depiction of drug use, profanity, and offensive language (Gomez, 2018). It was listed on ALA’s “Top 11 Most Challenged Books of 2018.” It was also described as being “anticop” (ALA, 2021). I anticipate that Concrete Rose will have similar challenges as The Hate U Give.
Reason for Inclusion: I included this audiobook because Angie Thomas is an excellent writer and her books are very popular with teens. Thomas’s books show a part of life that many teens are not familiar with but should learn about. Teens who are familiar with urban life will identify with the stories and characters. I enjoyed this audiobook and feel that teens and adults will, as well.
References:
American Library Association. (2021). Top 10 most challenged books lists. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
Angie Thomas, (N.D.). About. Retrieved from https://angiethomas.com/about/
Audible.com. (2021). Concrete Rose. Retrieved from https://www.audible.com/pd/Concrete-Rose-Audiobook/0063043815
Epic Reads. (2020, December 15). Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas | official book trailer. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwdyA8Q6Jx4&ab_channel=EpicReads
Gomez, B. (2018, September 6). Banned spotlight: The Hate U Give. Banned Books Week. Retrieved from https://bannedbooksweek.org/banned-spotlight-the-hate-u-give/
Grey, I. (2021, January 5). Q & A with Angie Thomas. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/85233-q-a-with-angie-thomas.html
Mond, T. (2017, January 30.) The rose that grew from concrete blog. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@taleyahmond5/the-rose-that-grew-from-concrete-blog-5502990dc44f
Debby's YA Mini Library Collection 