Concrete Rose (excerpt)

This study guide will help you analyze the excerpt from the novel Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, which can be found in the Black Voices anthology. You can also find a summary of the text, as well as inspiration for interpreting it and putting it into perspective.

Excerpt from the study guide:

Maverick’s admiration for his father is revealed when Maverick hugs him and claims that “he always seem bigger than life to me”. Although they are approximately the same height and “eye to eye”, Maverick still feels “like a ant standing in front of a mountain”.

Despite his immense love for his father, Maverick is initially afraid to tell him that he is going to have another baby. He avoids his father’s eyes until he is forced to come clean: “Pops never let me talk to anybody without looking them in the eye, and he never let me stumble on my words. I better say what I mean, no hesitation”.

The conflict between Maverick and Adonis puts distance between the two. At first, Maverick is repentant and tries to find excuses for his mistake, but his father does not want to hear of it. This makes Maverick snap and turn against his father, whom he starts blaming for making even worse mistakes:

‘Pops, chill.’
‘Chill? You expect me to be cool with the fact my son doing stupid shit?’
Hold up. He in the orange jumpsuit. ‘That's not as stupid as hiding cocaine in the house where your wife and son live.’ He may seem like a mountain, but I'm starting to feel like one myself.
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