Book Review: The Rose that Grew From Concrete

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Shakur, T. (2009). The rose that grew from concrete. MTV Books/Gallery Books.

ISBN: 9780671028459

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Written by Tupac at age 19, this collection of poems is hand written and gives readers an inside to his deepest thoughts and feelings. This collection of 100 poems that were written between 1989 and 1991. Each poem touches on an aspect of Tupac’s life’s struggle.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This book of verses is a must read!!!! Growing up in the 90’s I was a huge Tupac fan. I remember listening to his music and singing along to his lyrics. I will say I was in disbelieve at first, as I read through each poem. The poems in this collection show a sensitive side to Tupac that was rarely seen. I really felt these poems were heart felt and touched on either his personal struggles, love, friendship, or poverty. I really felt like these poems were easy to connect to, especially if you have background knowledge of Tupac and his life.  These poems would be great to engage young adult readers in class discussions and deep analysis of poetry writing. One of the things I really enjoyed was reading the preface his mother wrote. It is important to mention this, because the preface provided readers with some insights that helps them better understand Tupac.  One of the things I noticed about these poems were how Tupac used the number “2” instead of the word “to” in his writings. In the poem, “The Depths of Solitude,” he also replaced words with illustrations.  This definitely showcase is individuality and uniqueness. One of the elements of poetry that was easily seen in each poem was symbolism. For example, in “The Rose the Grew from Concrete”, I felt the rose represented Tupac and the concrete was the dark and gray place he was in. This poem also showcased how something wonderful can come from an unlikely place, which was the story of his success. In his other poems, I did find a few lines with end rhyme, but no set rhyme scheme. Tupac didn’t really focus on poetry elements, but rather focused on expressing this thoughts and feelings through his writings. My favorite poem in this collection was, “If I Fail”. This poem touches on life’s struggles and the importance of learning and trying again. This is an important life lesson. Overall, I though this book of verses was excellent!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in SLJ: “The poems are passionate, sometimes angry, and often compelling.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Read through one of the poems in this collection, and engage students in a class discussion about the different elements of poetry they can find.

*Engage students to reflect on the different poems, and encourage them to write a poem of their own.

*Other poetry collections for YA:

Kaufman, C. (2018). Light filters in: Poems. HarperCollins. ISBN: 1665904968

Paschen, E., & Raccah, D. (2010). Poetry Speaks who I Am. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.

ISBN: 9780062844682

Review Completed for SHSU MLA Course. 

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