Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

This book contains inexplicit sexual activities; sexual nudity; excessive/frequent profanity derogatory terms; violence; controversial racial social commentary; controversial religious commentary; and alcohol and drug use by a minor.

 This book had a good message. It’s about a teenage gangbanger who gets out of the gang and selling drugs after his son is born. He decides that he wants to do the right thing and raise his son right. He ends up getting another girl pregnant after admittedly being stupid by not wearing a condom. He and the other girl discuss abortion which they decide is wrong. They speak about adoption as another option. They ultimately end up keeping the child and raising the kids together. In the middle of the story, another one of guys in his gang gets murdered. While the main character has the assailant on his knees with a gun to his head, he decides he’d never be right with God if he murdered someone, especially for gang justice. The book truly shows that there is a better, more honest path for those in gangs. It’s a harder life with harder work, but the gang life is not a fulfilling one.I’d recommend this book if the profanity wasn’t so excessive. In a 360 page book, there are nearly 300 instances of profanity.