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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Concrete Rose in Books

Jan 28, 2021

A striking prequel to The Hate You Give

Maverick Carter feels the weight of the world on his shoulders. With his father in prison, he has to help his mother financially while still attending high school. To do so, he's secretly dealing drugs with some of his friends, and he's a member of the King Lords gang, same as his father, for protection. But when Mav finds out he's becoming a father too, everything changes. His son, Seven, alters his view on the world. He wants to stop dealing, to get a real job, maybe even leave the gang. And when a murder rocks his community, Maverick is forced to grow up quickly and figure out exactly what his future holds.

"When it comes to the streets, there’s rules. They ain’t written down, and you won’t find them in a book."

CONCRETE ROSE takes place around seventeen years before Thomas' hit THE HATE YOU GIVE, and it's absolutely riveting. Talk about the book you didn't know you needed, but once you read it, you'll never forget it. Thomas perfectly captures teen Maverick's voice and his early life, including all the pressures that come with being a young black man in his community.

Thomas deftly shows how institutionalized racism has affected Maverick's entire world--his father in prison, the gang life that surrounds him, the standards and judgements forced upon him. Maverick wants to go straight, but the pressures he faces--having to support his family as a kid, other family members who want him in a gang--are nearly overwhelming.

This book touches on friendship, family, belonging, and so much more. It's spellbinding and so well-done. The fact that it has ties to THUG is even better, giving insight into more of that world. Overall, it's incredibly engrossing and insightful. Honestly, I was sad it didn't cover more time up to THUG. 4.5 stars.

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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Bye Bye Man (2017) in Movies

Jul 12, 2019

When someone tells you not to think about something or not to talk about something it is the hardest thing not to do. This is exactly what “The Bye Bye Man” is all about. If you think about him or if you talk about him he will know. After college students Elliot and his girlfriend Sasha move in together with their friend John to a creepy old house their lives are changed forever. Elliot begins to notice that their is something strange going on when he finds a name scribbled in his antique nightstand left by the original owners. He wasn’t expecting to have his world turned upside down with just saying that name. The Bye Bye Man!

If Stacy Title was going for a horror comedy she would’ve hit the nail right on the head but unfortunately this is categorized as a horror thriller. By my standards this film didn’t even come close to that. Originally “The Bye Bye Man” was based off of a short story entitled “The Bridge to Body Island”. Until I read a portion of this story myself I didn’t understand certain aspects of the film. That being said, how is anybody supposed to understand certain things about the film before reading the short story first.

I was not really familiar with the cast and their acting seemed forced and not natural. The only good part to the cast was Doug Jones and his exceptional way of always creeping me out with his characters. In person he is the sweetest guy but on screen he always brings the creepy factor of the film up a notch. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep this film afloat for me. Perhaps if I had gone into the screening expecting to see a comedic horror film I would be okay with it as being just that. There was more laughter from the audience than screams.