The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Bibliography

Shakur, Tupac. 1999. The Rose That Grew From Concrete. New York, NY: Pocket Books. ISBN 9780671028459

Plot Summary

This book contains a collection of poems that Tupak Shakur wrote during writing circles with his manager Leila Steinberg between the years 1989 and 199. Steinberg held onto these poems and shared them with Tupac's mother after his death. Each poem is a duplication of the original paper Tupac wrote the poem on, shown in his handwriting, and the following page has the poem in typed format. Many of the poems deal with self-worth, such as "What Is It That I Search 4" and other poems like "Life Through My Eyes" examines the struggles of living in poverty. Quite a few of Shakur's poems are about love and heartbreak and are often dedicated to specific women, such as "Black Woman: 4 Marquita" or "1 for April." Some even are dedicated to public figures of the past like Marilyn Monroe and Vincent Van Gogh. Regardless of the topic, they all reflect Tupac's struggle to be true to himself and to be a faithful, devoted person.

Critical Analysis

The imagery Tupac uses in his poems is not overly complex, but he does a fantastic job of capturing his life at the time they were written. Poems like "No Win" and "In the Depths of Solitude" show his inner struggle between righteousness and the realities of harsh life he grew up in. The poems show how deeply his emotions ran and that he was a man of integrity. Being able to see the poems written in his own hand, including scratch outs, is a nice touch to the book. He also consistently uses "2" and "4" instead of "to" and "for" in his poems, which was kept in the text versions as well. This book is a quick read and shows the soft, emotional side of this talented artist with a tough public image.

Review Excerpts 

School Library Journal, 7/1/2000 by Susan Salpini "The poems are passionate, sometimes angry, and often compelling. Selections are reproduced from the originals in Shakur's handwriting, personalized by distinctive spelling and the use of ideographs (a drawing of an eye for I, etc.), and complete with scratch outs and corrections. With the exception of "In the Event of My Demise," all of the pieces are accompanied by typed text, which leaves his spelling intact. Some poems are also accompanied by his drawings. A few black-and-white photographs appear throughout."

Connections

Readers who enjoyed the poems might also enjoy The Dream Keeper and Other Poems by Langston Hughes, ISBN 9780679883470. Fans of Tupac Shakur might enjoy Jacqueline Woodson's novel After Tupac and D Foster, ISBN 9780142413999.