But Angie Thomas’s fervent love for the genre seeps through the pages and may possibly pique the interest of any novice. You don’t have to be a fan of hip-hop to appreciate the poetic verses in On the Come Up. Along with Bri’s hope that Aunt Pooh will eventually leave gang life, the family’s impending poverty builds up this genuine sense of urgency that motivates the main character’s desire to immediately become rich and famous. She makes multiple sacrifices to make sure Trey and Bri have food, enduring the sympathetic gazes and church gossip. After Jay loses her job, her struggles in providing for her children gradually worsen, even with her son, Trey’s, help. I like that On the Come Up takes its time in developing the Jacksons’ financial issues. Nevertheless, such minor dialogue choices didn’t sway my overall enjoyment of the main character’s authentic voice. Sporadically, I came across some unfamiliar vernacular, such as Bri responding to something she finds disgusting with “ill” instead of “gross”. While I struggled with Bri’s narration during my initial reading in mid-February and March, to my surprise, I breezed through On the Come Up‘s writing the second time around. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it-she has to make it. 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. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time.
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