On the Come Up by Angie Thomas  {Reviewed by STELLA} Angie Thomas won critical acclaim for her debut novel, The Hate U Give(T.H.U.G.), a sharp-edged and heartfelt teen novel that grappled with racial prejudice and violence, and with stopping the circle of violence. It was raw and beautiful both as a novel and as a film. Her second book, On the Come Up, looks at some of the same issues and at growing up in some of the poorest communities in America. Bri has a dream, just like many sixteen-year-olds, but the chance of her capturing this dream is proving elusive. Growing up poor, even when you are bussing to the school in the next neighbourhood (your local is too dangerous) where you might have an opportunity to gain a scholarship for college, means an empty fridge, the power’s often cut, and your brother, who should be in college continuing his study, is working at the local pizza shop. Add that Bri’s dream is to be a rap star (something her mother is okay with as long as her grades come first) and she can’t make enough to cut a track, her mom just lost her job, she's got  a crush on her best friend, her favourite aunt who has promised to help her make connections in the music world is too tied up in the drug world, and everyone is comparing her to her ‘famous’ dad who was the victim of a drive-by shooting, things aren’t looking so good. When Bri wins a rap competition (a bit like a sing-off), suddenly an opportunity arises that looks too good to be true — she’s got a new manager who is going to introduce her all the right people and they like her style — because she’s got it — the ability to make it big. Her rap goes viral, but it’s not what she expected. And this is where the story gets interesting — Bri is challenged to work out what she wants, what is important and how to be true to herself. Angie Thomas in On The Come Up confronts violence in black communities, the circular problems of drugs and gangs, and the stereotypes of colour — what white people think about you and what black people expect of you. As Bri gets increasingly frustrated by the situation she finds herself she is pushed to a place where she needs to make a decision about who she is and to confront what her culture means to her, not what it means to the music industry, the money makers and the gangs. Making it big will mean sacrifices and taking on a mantle she doesn’t feel comfortable with — her decision will change her place in the world — will it be a way out of the projects or swallow her whole? This is also a story about a young woman coming of age  looking behind the masks of posturing and preening, finding out about love and realising how necessary friendship and family are. Tough issues, sassy characters and plenty of truth.