Book club discussion - On the Come Up

[ufcasey]

This month's book club discussion is about Angie Thomas' book, On the Come Up.

I don't have any discussion questions, so please discuss your thoughts in general!

[ufcasey]

Tagging people who may have read it:

aurora, rootbeerfloat, dontlook, krystee, abs, StrawberryBlondie, mie, sarahswim, rainbowchip, just, mpc

[krystee]

Did anyone listen to the audiobook? As I was reading, I really wanted to hear the lyrics as they would have been performed, and I was curious if you get that experience with the audiobook.

I read it when it first came out so it has been awhile. I know I really liked it, almost as much as The Hate U Give.”

[aurora]

Aug 26, 2020 21:45:21 GMT -5 krystee said:

Did anyone listen to the audiobook? As I was reading, I really wanted to hear the lyrics as they would have been performed, and I was curious if you get that experience with the audiobook.

I read it when it first came out so it has been awhile. I know I really liked it, almost as much as The Hate U Give.”

Yes! I was thinking of that last week so I'm glad you reminded me. It was definitely great to hear her rap, so the audiobook is a great choice for this one.

[aurora]

I really liked this book. I thought it did a good job making Bri feel 3 dimensional. She was dealt a tough hand and sometimes made rash (teenage typical) decisions, but also was usually true to herself and knew the importance of family. I actually liked it even better than The Hate U Give.

[abs]

I need to go back and finish this one. I read the first few chapters when it came out but then set it down and went on to something else. I don't think I ever went back to finish!

[tacokick]

I read it back when it came out about 18 months ago so I’m a little hazy but I really enjoyed it. I felt like the characters were a bit more fleshed out than they were in her first book.

I did think it was a little long but the plot didn’t drag so I guess that was okay? It covered a longer period of time than I would have expected.

I really liked the music angle of this one, I’ve been to hundreds of rap concerts and follow our local scene carefully so it was fun to read the perspective of a young woman in it.

[dontlook]

I read it in April 2019 and have it 4 stars. I think it was good for YA (it’s YA, right?). I didn’t read The Hate You Give so I can compare it to that. I remember liking Bri and feeling like the author made her quite authentic (young, making poor choices). I really felt for her living situation and her family life. I’m trying to remember more about the book....

[rootbeerfloat]

I also liked this book, though the details are fuzzy. I felt like she was little more real than Starr from THUG. I also liked her friends/peers.

[wesleycrusher]

I didn't love this book. I though it was well-written and the audiobook narrator was great. But like others have said, the teenager character makes age-appropriate impulsive, poorly though out choices...I just don't enjoy reading people making bad decisions. Even if it's in character, it's just not enjoyable to me and I get aggravated. It's also why I can't stand Harry Potter (the character, not the series). Or the movie Jurassic Park (I hate the kids in it!)

Anyway, I was surprised that the older brother went to school for psychology. I know it's been discussed on other boards here, but many times kids from lower-income backgrounds don't go to school for degrees that don't make money because they don't have the safety net of falling back on their parents to support them.

[mie]

I read this a while ago so the details aren't clear, but I know that I enjoyed the book.

[msmerymac]

Super late to this, as I finished recently, but wesleycrusher, I assumed his interest stemmed from their emotional trauma due to the death of one parent and the addiction of another. Trey was older than Bri, so may have realized the severe mental health blow that can have on kids as he was living through it, whereas Bri was too young to really know differently, but was obviously traumatized by those events.