On the Come Up: Chloe L.

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

Angie Thomas strikes again. On the Come Up is yet again another brilliant novel written by the popular American young adult author, best known for writing The Hate U Give. This novel tells the story of Bri, a sixteen-year old rapper, hoping to fulfill the expectations of those around her. She hopes to 'make it' as an underground hip-hop legend, aspiring to fill the shoes of her father, Lawrence "Lawless" Jackson.

Bri faces monumental obstacles throughout the journey to achieve her dreams. Though only sixteen-years old, she has a lot on her plate: from crushes, school, and tests to shots being fired in her neighborhood, gang violence, and her aunt selling drugs.

One big component of this book is family, just as it did in The Hate U Give. Pretty early on in this book, we find out that Bri and her older brother Trey lived with their grandparents for a while, when their mother Jay's drug addiction got out of hand. It's abundantly clear that Bri has had a rough time, with her father dying early on in her life, but loves her family to the ends of the earth. Jay forced herself to get off the drugs, overcoming drug stereotypes, which have been plastered all over her forehead by her own parents and those around her. Her past seems inescapable by her employers and distant relatives. The relationship of Jay, Trey, and Bri is a spotlight throughout the entire story, displaying the sacrifices they are willing to make for each other. One sacrifice includes Trey coming back home instead of completing his Master's degree at the university to help out with money and family.

Racial stereotypes haunt Bri and her family throughout the entire novel. Outside of her family and close friends, nearly everyone that Bri encounters sees her through the distorted lens of racial stereotyping. From the security guards to the media news, the world tells Bri that she is "thuggish" and "aggressive". Bri struggles throughout the novel to eradicate the ideas of these labels, but that pushback itself is seen as "further proof of her aggression". For example, Bri writes her verse, “On the Come Up”, in an attempt to fight against the perception of her being a "gangster" and a "threat", but many listeners interpret the song in the opposite way, believing it to be a call to violence against police, "confirming Bri's dangerousness".

Angie Thomas's writing is outstanding as the fear, anger, and frustration emitted by the characters can be felt by the readers.