Concrete Rose - Angie Thomas

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From the cover:

"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."

I would give this a thousand stars if I could. Even just typing this description after finishing reading it, I'm tearing up a little. This is a book that will stick with you. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Maverick and his experiences since I finished reading it. Angie Thomas, you've done it again. 

You do not have to have read The Hate U Give to read this, but having read both, one of the things I appreciate about this book existing is that while so often in YA you get the teenager's perspective and see very little of the parents, this gives us a look into Maverick's experience as a teenager and helps us understand his background and where he's coming from as a parent in The Hate U Give. It made me appreciate Maverick even more. (And appreciate Lisa even more, which...I already loved her, but god damn. She's incredible.)

Something else that really stood out to me was the role that Mr. Wyatt played in Maverick's life. The characters in this book may be fictional, but there are Mavericks all over the place in the US, and we all hear people folx in situations like his as though they aren't even human and don't deserve basic decency. I've done a lot of research and training about Adverse Childhood Experiences and how trauma can impact kids' lives as they grow through adulthood, and reading this was a kick in the gut thinking about how many children grow up being fed the same messages that Maverick is, basically telling them not even to try because they're worthless and no matter what they do they won't ever amount to anything. But watching Maverick interact with Mr. Wyatt also reminded me of the studies that show how much of a positive impact having just one adult outside of their family circle who believes in them and who they can trust can have on kids in traumatic situations. Mr. Wyatt is that person for Maverick. We need to be those people for the kids in our lives.

Anyway...sorry, this really isn't so much a book review as it is me getting teary eyed thinking about how important trauma-informed practices are and how all kids deserve to be loved and believed in. Just trust, this book is incredible. Read it and sit with it awhile. 

(And also, always wear a condom. Maybe two, just in case. 😉)