Loved this book!
Bewertet mit 5 Sternen
Maverick "Mav" Carter had no bigger problems in life than looking fresh for his girl Lisa in his Air Jordan's and hanging out with his homies King, Shawn and Dre while dealing a bit of weed here and there. That was until he was dragged to a DNA test by Iesha with whom he slept once after Lisa broke up for him for two weeks and who has a three months old son. The test reveals that Maverick is the boy's father, and Iesha leaves the child with his new-found father for an uncertain amount of time. Lisa breaks off with Maverick.
Soon, Mav struggles between childcare, school and an honest job at Mr Wyatt's local grocery store, 'cause he can't leave all the extra bills for his mom. As much as he trys to keep his life together he soon realizes that without the easy money he makes as a dealer he'll never be able to provide for his family. Getting into business again with the King Lords is the only solution to his problems. Mav's father, also a King Lord, sits in jail for years now - it seems the boy is destined to repeat the mistakes of his father.
But then one of his homies gets shot and it looks like he was executed by a rivaling gang. Surprisingly Lisa consoles Maverick in his shock and grief but she clearly states that getting back together with Mav again isn't an option while he is involved in all this gang business. Lisa issues an ultimatum to Maverick which forces him not just to play father but to become a man.
Not as strong as Angie Thomas first book "The Hate U Give" which left a big impression with me but also a book absolutely worth reading is "Concrete Rose". It's the story of the father of Starr whom we learn about in THUG. I loved that Khalil had a little cameo (even though one knows what happens to him in THUG) and I adored the reference to Justyce in Nic Stone's "Dear Martin". Concrete Rose is not only a good story but a reference to some more books worth your while!