Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
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.
Trigger & Content Warnings:
- Racism
- Coming out themes
- Bimisia
- Child neglect & parental abandonment
- Recreational drug use
- Substance addiction mentioned
- Postnatal depression discussed
- Teen pregnancy (theme)
- Abortion discussed
- Grief & loss depiction
- Death of a cousin
- Death of a sister to sickle cell mentioned
- Incarceration
- Murder & attempted murder
- Gun violence
- Gang violence
- Police brutality & violence mentioned