‘Concrete Rose’ is a narrative, written by Angie Thomas, and is also a prequel to ‘The Hate U Give’. It starts on a high note, in August of 1998. Mav is a young gang member following in the footsteps of his father (who is in prison). He has a good group of friends and a good girlfriend, but everything changes shortly after. He has been left with his newborn son, who up until that day, he had no idea it was his. He now has to start school, take care of his son, and take care of himself.
Mav quickly understood that he was the dad of this baby and that he needed to step in and take care of him. He handled these fast changes efficiently, even though there were some bad days. The author made this story believable and made a big effort to show the psychological parts of every character. She displayed so many emotions and everything written throughout the book was logical and smartly done. Many different topics are shown throughout this book, such as teen pregnancy, gang violence, death, racism, and so much more. Each topic is realistic throughout this timeframe and accurately displays what life was like for Mav.
With Mav growing up in a gang, having a newborn to take care of, and many more challenges that approach him throughout the book, he shows growth in many different ways. He starts to understand things more and starts to care about his family more than anything. Thomas wrote a beautiful story about a young man finding true meaning in his life and maturing through times of grief, struggles, school, and so much more. This book is a more serious book rather than comical or anything else, as all the topics are sensitive in the real world and many people experience them daily. This book has got to be one of the most heart-wrenching and heartwarming books that I have ever read. It shows how much life gives you throughout the time you experience it and how short life can be.
After reading this book, I think the overall meaning of it is that no matter what challenges you face throughout your life, everything will get better. Everything happens for a reason, even if it seems super cruel.
