Bri has always wanted to be a rapper, just like her late father. She knows that she has the talent to do so, her friends and aunt have always believed in her skill. She just hasn’t been discovered. Time was always on her side until her mom lost her job, and now Bri’s family needs money. When Bri’s big break comes, the song that fuels it is taken out of her original context. Now, people are affiliating her lyrics with specific gangs and giving her a persona that isn’t like her at all, just because of some of the lyrics she decided to use in her music. If she keeps up this persona she could make her family a lot of money, but she doesn’t like some of the attention it brings. If she chooses to go a different path, she might never see the success she dreams of.
I love Angie Thomas ever since The Hate U Give. I’ve had this book on my radar ever since it originally came out, but I never got around to actually reading it. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. Bri flew off the page at me and wouldn’t let me put the book down until I finished her story.
Bri reminded me so much of the people I went to high school with. The black girls always got in trouble for the smallest things even when their classmates would do even worse and get off with a slap on the wrist. It’s unfair and it happens every day, kids deserve better. Bri clearly had the talent to put her mind to something and be motivated, but the school was such a toxic environment that she couldn’t work well there. Parents think that sending their child to a school in a better neighborhood will give them a better school experience, but their children often end up feeling isolated and discouraged at the “better” schools. This book shines a light on all those issues and gave me a chance to really remember some of the crazy things that happened to students at my high school over the years.
Going back on the theme of education, I also loved how this book showed that higher education is not the cure-all that some people believe it is. Bri’s brother did everything “right” and went to college, but he still couldn’t get a job without a master’s degree and further debt. There’s no easy way to stop being poor as their family was still at risk of having the lights shut off with a college graduate in the house.
The use of rap and music in this book really reminded me that rap started as poetry set to music. Bri poured her heart into the music she made and she had TALENT. She could have used that talent to become a poet if she wanted to, but she just had the passion to become a musician. I’ve read books about musicians before, but I never FELT their music in the story the way I felt Bri’s verses in this one. The music flowed through the pages as you read about her daily life.
Another very important theme was family. Bri felt disconnected from her mother who had been addicted to drugs for her very early childhood, and more connected with her aunt even though her aunt was very involved in gang activity. Bri had dealt with far too much family drama for her young age, but this book shows how kids in her similar situation end up processing that trauma. I feel like this would be a good book for teachers to read to start to understand their students’ possible family situations a bit more, no matter where the teacher is located.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a modern book that shows the life of teens today, or anyone looking for a book about art and music.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 books.
