Roses Can Bloom in the Hardest Conditions

~Concrete Rose~
By Angie Thomas
Amazon ~ Powell's

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.

Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.

Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.

Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.

When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.


Returning to the world from The Hate U Give, this time in a prequel featuring Starr's dad, I'll admit I was hesitant to jump in this time. Not only have I been continually heartbroken and dejected the more I hear and read about Black people's ongoing plight in the US lately, and I know this author never pulls her punches, but I was also apprehensive about focusing on gang activity, recalling some of Maverick's past from the first book. Even knowing what he would become in the future, I was hesitant to know just what her dad had been involved in before turning his life around. Still, I trust Angie Thomas by now, so I went ahead and took the plunge.

This book was hard to read at times, but not as hard as I thought it'd be. It did have some focus on gang violence and dealing drugs, but the majority of the story wasn't about that at all. It was really just about a young man looking for himself and his place in the world. And sure, that world did happen to involve gangs and drugs for a time, but you deal with the hand you're dealt and decide what to do with it. And sometimes there's even a chance to change your mind. I know I'm being super vague here, but as with most of Angie Thomas's writing this is another story I think you should probably just go read yourself.

In addition to the coming-of-age, finding oneself narrative, this story also centers around parenthood and responsibility. Sure, Maverick does some boneheaded stuff, but he always does his best to own up to his mistakes and make the best of bad situations. When he's presented with the fact that he's a father, he immediately begins learning to care for his son (albeit with a little prodding from his mom), and takes steps to better his family's situation. He does earn some bumps and bruises as he grapples with his sudden transition from child to father, but he continually shows his strength through his perseverance and determination. Even when he's exhausted and stricken with grief, he always comes back to doing the best for his kid.

That being said, Maverick is by no means alone in his struggles. Time and again I had to marvel at his support structure, from his mom, to his boss, to his girlfriend. Sure, he did have rough patches with each of them, times where he kept secrets or was shut out, but I'd have to say he was lucky on the whole for all the backup he actually had. I especially loved Mr. Wyatt, his boss, who gave some of the best advice in the book:

“Son, one of the biggest lies ever told is that Black men don’t feel emotions. Guess it’s easier to not see us as human when you think we’re heartless. Fact of the matter is, we feel things. Hurt, pain, sadness, all of it. We got a right to show them feelings as much as anybody else.” [pg 163]

As someone who has struggled with expressing herself, this line hit hard. There's strength in being able to show vulnerability, and oftentimes that comes from having a strong support system around you. One that runs deeper than just colors or tats.

I touched a bit on gangs earlier, but I want to ease some more apprehension that people might have going in. This book doesn't glorify gang involvement at all. If anything, it shows gangs as a poor substitute for real support systems of family and community. Now, I'm a huge fan of found-family narratives, and one could argue that gangs can exemplify that same sort of structure, but here the gang is shown to be petty, fickle, and disloyal to anyone not in the upper echelons. Even then, when management changes it's put up or shut up. If you're not working for the gang, the gang isn't supporting you, regardless of what you thought you had. It's no wonder Maverick was so vocal about leaving/avoiding gangs in The Hate U Give.

That isn't to say that there aren't valid reasons for Maverick's involvement in his gang. The book spells it out at the beginning:

No mother want their son in a gang, but no mother want their son dead either. Pops made so many enemies in the streets that I need somebody to have my back. [pg 15]

The gang provided a safety net of sorts from those who might seek revenge against that member's family. It also provided the opportunity of financial security, which continually tempted and coerced Maverick into dealing drugs when bills were due. There's definitely some pride that comes with being able to support your family, even if you know there's potential dire consequences. So it's this masterful balance of sympathetic circumstances and unflattering depiction of the gang itself that I think should alleviate most concerns.

A quick note about the writing in this book. You may have noticed in that last quote that some of the words don't quite conform to what's taught in schools. That's because, for the most part, this book doesn't use MAE (Modern American English) but a form of AAE (African-American English) vernacular which drops a lot of the S's, both plural and possessive. Here's another quote that illustrates that a bit more:

Pops told me the other day that grief something we all gotta carry. I never understood that till now. Feel like I got a boulder on my back. It weigh down my whole body, and I be wanting to cry out to make the pain go away. [pg 120]

Since I don't remember Starr or Bri writing like this, I assume either their code switching isn't as dramatic, or Angie Thomas simply didn't have enough clout to be able to write the way she wanted yet. Regardless, though it's not what I'm familiar with, I had no problems and enjoyed the experience. It really made Maverick stand out from the rest of the narrators I've experienced recently, making his voice and story that much more memorable.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I loved this book. Between its unique style, courageous and lovable characters, heartwarming messages, and emotional core, I don't know what to praise the most. There are obviously going to be those who turn up their noses at this book, and of course they're the ones who need to read it the most, but I'd highly recommend it to everyone who's old enough. There are scenes involving gun violence, sex, and drug use, so I do understand some reservations, but seriously, at least give it a try. After all, as this story illustrates, one decision could change the whole course of your life.

Read by Dion Graham
Unabridged Length: 8.3 Hours
Listened at 1.75x Speed

I really appreciated having the audiobook this time around because of the narration style. Since this book primarily uses an AAE vernacular, which I am largely unfamiliar with, I found the audiobook helpful to keep me on track and on speed. At the same time, I did find that I had to play the audio slightly slower than I normally would since the structure was a bit crisper and more succinct than I'm used to.

Mr. Graham really made this production shine. I don't think I've ever heard as much emotion in an audiobook as he gave. If Maverick was sleep deprived in a scene, Graham might add a yawn or two to his narration. If a character was crying in a scene, Graham even included sniffles or voice cracks in their dialogue. Though I did have a couple times where his voice dropped lower/softer than I could easily hear for a couple words, I couldn't ask for a better narrator for this story.

Overall, a masterful narration and a solid production overall. In a world where audiobooks can start to blend together, this one puts forward a phenomenal one-man-show that lets it stand out. I think there could have been some tweaks to audio editing to allow quieter moments better clarity, but that might not be an issue with headphones and/or slower playback. If you're looking for an audiobook that highlights the power of a voice actor in affecting emotion and general storytelling, Concrete Rose is definitely one to check out.