RaveThe New York Times Book ReviewThe inheritance we carry from those who came before us is a knot of roots that can be complicated to unravel. It can take a lifetime of work to distinguish the threads that shape the people we grow to be. Angie Thomas’s latest young adult novel, Concrete Rose, takes on this challenge — sorting through a person’s becoming — with the author’s characteristic mastery ... That familiar hum of collective care is woven throughout Concrete Rose and showcases the full humanity of Black folks — and Black boys in particular ... In Concrete Rose, Thomas casts a loving eye on the lives and realities of Black people, which is a powerful continuation of one of her most moving endeavors as a writer: her challenge to readers to affirm the goodness of all types of characters and to greet them with compassion at every turn, no matter where those turns may lead.
