Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Reviewed by Sky E.
Grade 11

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas is the sequel to one of the best books I have read so far: The Hate U Give. I immediately chose to read Concrete Rose once I discovered both were written by the same author. I had extremely high expectations for this book and felt somewhat let down as the novel began. As I continued reading, my high expectations had begun to feel satisfied as the book grew more and more intense. This story walks the reader through the struggles of heartbreak, loss, and fatherhood from the point of view of seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter.

The book begins on the neighborhood basketball court in Garden Heights with Maverick, the main character, playing ball with the King Lords. The King Lords are a gang who run the part of the neighborhood where Maverick lives. Maverick joined the gang as a form of protection from the enemies of his father. Being able to help his mother pay the bills by selling drugs was another benefit to being in the gang. As the boys are playing, they seem to have an audience of Maverick’s girlfriend, Lisa, and Dre’s family. Maverick's mind seems to be elsewhere, worrying about an incident that is taking place that day. Soon after a short basketball game, Maverick, and King, his friend who is also a part of the King Lords, head to a clinic where the story takes a drastic turn as Maverick finds out he may be the father of his best friend’s “son”.

How could Maverick be the father of his King’s “son” when he has a girlfriend? It turns out that Maverick made an unfortunate mistake with King’s “girl,” Iesha, while he and Lisa were on a break. This one-time fling turned into a life-changing event. Once Iesha’s mother learned Maverick was the father of the baby, the two ran off and left him to deal with a child he just met. His mother begins to teach him the ins and outs of parenting, which leaves him with a problem. What is he going to tell his girlfriend, and how is he going to deal with the costs of this baby?

I really enjoyed the author’s style of writing in this book. At first, I wasn’t particularly interested in the way the author decided to initially start the book, but as I continued reading, the style helped bring the book to life. I also seemed to enjoy all the conflict that appeared in the story. Just when I began to think the book was getting boring, a new conflict would show up to appease my boredom.

I would completely recommend this book to the people who enjoy reading fiction with new conflicts in each chapter. The author’s style really allows the reader to feel as if they know Maverick. The style allows the reader to dive into Maverick's mind and feel his pain with him. In my opinion, the ending is extremely satisfactory. Once I finished the book, I kept wishing to know more about Maverick and how his life is going even though the book already ended.

Concrete Rose is a 2022 Printz Award Honor book.