November Book Club Meeting

The Dreamers of Tomorrow book club discussed Tupac Shakur’s The Rose That Grew from Concrete for its November 2009 meeting. The teens, many of whom are underprivileged and come from group homes, related the topics of Tupac’s novel to their own lives. They discussed the significance of overcoming adversity in “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” (the poem of the same title as the book): Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong it learned to walk with out having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared. (1).

They also discussed how to overcome fear in one’s own self in “The Fear in the Heart of a Man." Brenda and the teens discussed the book in ways that made it relevant to the Randallstown community and the problems kids face there (according to Brenda, gang recruitment is a huge problem in the area). What we found particularly interesting was that race was hardly mentioned at all during the discussion. We wondered if the teens would connect to Tupac because he was African-American (only one of the approximately twenty teens there was not black) or if their connection would be more based on experience. The teens discussed sex, violence, gangs, and drugs, but race was hardly even brought up. David Kirkland discusses this phenomenon when he writes about the influence of hip-hop in today’s culture. He notes that “70 percent of hip-hop tracks are purchased by White, middle-class teenagers” (2). Therefore, the implication is that hip-hop literature (a genre of which Tupac’s poetry is obviously a part) is not so much about race but is about situating one’s self in modern culture. It is about finding meaning in the experiences of others as well as one’s self. Tupac speaks to the teens at Randallstown not because he was of their race but because his poetry is about culture and the modern human experience. Indeed, anyone—race, gender, and economic class aside—can relate to “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” and its message of rising above challenges. Read Kylee Piper's essay on Tupac, race, and literature

After the book discussion, the Dreamers of Tomorrow book club participated in a special discussion: What is a Book?

What Is a Book?

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Children's Programs at RPL

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Teen Read Week

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Sources

1. Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: MTV Books, 1999.

2. Kirkland, David E. “‘The Rose That Grew from Concrete’: Postmodern Blackness and New English Education.” English Journal 97:5 (May 2008). 69-75.