Angie Thomas shared the smallest sneak peek at her highly anticipated prequel to The Hate U Give.
Thomas shared the excerpt with her followers on Twitter last week with an image of the book’s first page. The image displays the opening paragraphs of Concrete Rose, which will follow 17-year-old Maverick Carter — the father of Starr, Thomas’s protagonist in her debut novel The Hate U Give.
Check it out:
The small excerpt from Concrete Rose, written in Maverick’s voice, explains that the rules of the street aren’t “written down.” Unfortunately for Maverick, it looks like he’s not doing very well at living “the most important rule,” which is to avoid being beat up in front of your girlfriend.
Thomas’s tweet also promoted pre-orders through Lemuria Books, a bookstore based in Jackson, Mississippi. Lemuria is selling signed copies of the novel.
The publication of Concrete Rose was first announced earlier this year in April. At the time, Thomas said, “of all characters who really just stayed with me, Maverick was at the top of that list.”
You can read the book’s synopsis below:
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.
The Concrete Rose release date has been set for Jan. 12, 2021.
Does this small excerpt from Concrete Rose make you excited to get your hands on the book?
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