73 pages • 2 hours read
Angie ThomasOn the Come Up
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2019A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Scrap tells Bri that her father gave the people of Garden Heights hope. Why would someone like Bri or her father bring hope to a community like Garden Heights?
Bri repeatedly says that she has no power. What events in her life, past and present, have caused her to feel this way?
Bri does not trust Supreme the first time she has a conversation with him at the Christmas giveaway. Why?
Bri says that retaliation never ends in Garden Heights, “but lives do” (360). How has Bri seen this idea play out in her personal life?
When Jay’s addiction to drugs first began, she told her children that she “got sick” and “wasn’t feeling well.” Think about this wording. What does it reveal about Jay and her relationship with her children? What does it show about Jay’s grief?
Bri states that things in Garden Heights haven’t been the same since the riots. How did the death of an unarmed Black teenager affect this community? How did it affect Bri, her friends, and her family?
Jay could have pawned Lawless’s gold chain, but instead, she gives it to Bri. Why?
Bri declines her grandmother’s offer to come and live with them, even though Jay’s house doesn’t have consistent food, power, or heat. Why does Bri turn down these comforts to stay with her mom?
Aunt Pooh’s arrest is treated like a death. Why? How does her arrest push Jay to her breaking point?
Consider the tone of Bri’s final performance in the Ring. How does it differ from the tone of her song “On the Come Up”?
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