On The Come Up

On The Come Up

YA/adult fiction
"I might have to kill somebody tonight.
It could be somebody I know. It could be a stranger. It could
be somebody who's never battled before. It could be somebody who's a
pro at it. It doesn't matter how many punch lines they throw at or how
nice their flow is. I'll have to kill them.
First, I gotta get the call. To get the call, I gotta get the
hell out of Mrs. Murray's class."
The call Bri, narrator of Angie Thomas' On The Come Up, is
waiting for is from a DJ who decides who gets in on freestyle rap
battles. Rap is her life. Her father was a legendary rapper before
he was killed by a member of a rival gang. She wants to carry out his
legacy.
"Tonight may be the perfect time, and the Ring is the perfect
place. It's one of the most sacred spots in Garden Heights, second
only to Christ Temple. You can't call yourself a rapper until you've
battled in the Ring."
Bri's mom, a recovered drug addict, is pushing college on her.
The class Bri has to get out of is an ACT prep. She's frustrated that
her mom won't see her dream as valid. She also wonders if college is
all it's cracked up to be. Her brother, Trey, graduated with honors.
"He also moved back home this summer. He couldn't find a decent
job, and as of three weeks ago, he makes pizzas for minimum wage. It
doesn't give me much to look forward to."
There is another reason, however, that Bri feels compelled to
make it big in rap: her family's serious financial struggles. Her
mom loses her job and finds her drug history standing in the way of
getting another. Her family falls behind on bills and gets eviction
notices. If she can make the right connections her family will be
safe from money stress.
Only life is more complicated than that. The song that brings
Bri into the public eye seems to support all the negative stereotypes
concerning black girls from impoverished communities. And some of the
lyrics may provoke the gang fighting that claimed her father's life.
Thomas' debut novel, The Hate U Give, established her as a
writer of substance. On The Come Up is even richer and more nuanced.
This reviewer can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
On a personal note: last night was the UMaine Pride Week Drag Show.
We were in the Collins Center for the Performing Arts, only the
premier venue on the whole campus. I nailed the title song from
Grease and was in pretty amazing company. The crowd got their money's
worth. Their love sent us so high we could just about touch the
stars. When we weren't on stage we were living it up talking and
taking pictures. Nights like that are treasures.
A great big shout out and sincere gratitude go out to my fellow drag
royalty, our fans, all the people behind the scenes, and Jane and Rob
who put the whole show together.
jules hathaway




Sent from my iPod