LibraryCin's Reviews > Concrete Rose

Maverick is 17-years old and waiting on a paternity test. When it shows he is the father, the mother walks out and leave the baby with Mav. The mother is not Mav’s girlfriend (that would be Lisa) and he wrestles with how to tell Lisa. Luckily, Mav’s mother helps out, more with advice than actually doing the parenting, and Mav turns out to be a good father. Mav’s cousin, Dre, encourages Mav to lead a clean life, but that’s hard to do when you are part of a gang and you sell drugs; not only that, what real job will pay what Mav needs to be paid to take care of himself and a baby and to also help his mom?

This was really good. A bit gritty, and you have to shake your head at the gang lifestyle and how that can seem so appealing. (At least I did, multiple times!) The book did talk about the “draw” of that lifestyle, as well (the money, the friends), but with regard to the friends, it seems to me the real friends are the ones like Dre, who realize that that life is ultimately not a good choice. It’s a tough world, but the humourous bits in the book are a nice relief.