Concrete Rose

A gang leader’s son finds his effort to go straight for the sake of his child challenged by a loved one’s brutal murder, in a poignant exploration of Black coming-of-age set 17 years before the events of the award-winning The Hate U Give. 500,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook.
"A gang leader's son finds his effort to go straight for the sake of his child challenged by a loved one's brutal murder, in a poignant exploration of Black coming-of-age set seventeen years before the events of the award-winning 'The Hate U Give'"--
International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood.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.When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He&;ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.