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Video: Angie Thomas Dives Deep Into ON THE COME UP

Angie Thomas talks about what to expect from her upcoming sophomore release ON THE COME UP!

Epic Reads recently released a new video featuring The Hate U Give author Angie Thomas dishing on her much anticipated 2019 novel On The Come Up.

The best-selling author gives fans a peek at what On The Come Up’s main character is going through as two major life events jolt her dreams of becoming a rapper in unexpected ways. She also explains that while Bri and The Hate U Give’s Starr live in the same neighborhood (Bri makes a cameo in THUG and Starr is expected the make one in this book), their stories aren’t interconnected. Still, they’ve got their similarities:

These two young ladies both represent what it’s like to be young and black in America when so often the world is against you. Brianna in some ways feels it more than Starr does. And that’s not to say that Starr doesn’t feel it, just that Brianna feels it in different ways, in harsher ways that really affect her everyday life.

Thomas also talks about a major part of the story that’s inspired her throughout her life: The culture of hip hop music and its influence. She hopes that by writing about the value of hip hop in Brianna’s life, more people will come to appreciate the artform.

Watch the video at the top of the post.

On The Come Up hits shelves on February 5, 2019. You can preorder it via Amazon or support your local bookstore via Indiebound!

 

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. 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. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

By Kait

Kait is a New Englander, a YA book and adaptation lover, and a Slythindor, as well as a red velvet and red wine enthusiast. She likes to like things. Catch her on Twitter: @kaitmary