Notes from the Shelf

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On the Come Up by Angie Thomas is a 464-page Contemporary Fiction YA (Young Adult) novel. The story is a coming-of-age story about a sixteen-year-old rapper, Bri, who wants to become one of the greatest rappers of all time. Bri is the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he made it big, so Bri has big shoes to fill. However, when her mom unexpectedly looses her job, food banks and shutoff notices become as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and her family facing homelessness, Bri feels she has to make it big, not just for herself, but for her family.

The book blurb says this book is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

I highly recommend the audiobook for this one. It’s narrated by Bahni Turpin, and she did an amazing job because usually it’s difficult for me to pay attention to an audiobook, but not this time! There were so many moments that gave me chills!

There was a movie released for On the Come Up in 2022; I’m very interested in seeing how it compares to the book. I’ll have to check it out!

I give On the Come Up 5 stars.

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