Adult Book Club Questions for Concrete Rose
- patricecarey8
- Oct 17, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison.
Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control.
Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father.
Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different.
When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can't just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.
Quick Book Review of Concrete Rose
This YA contemporary novel hit me in all the feels. It starts with humor—who doesn’t like watching a teenage boy figure out how to take care of a baby?—but things sober up when Maverick gets hit with problem after problem, some of his own making and some out of his control. The novel gives a searing look into how someone with all the right intentions can get wrapped up in poor choices, but it doesn’t cut Maverick any slack for them, either. Ultimately, it’s a redemptive story about how to change your life by changing how you see yourself and prioritizing what’s most important.
Alert! Intriguing Discussion Ahead
I encourage book clubs to move beyond questions like, “What did you like/dislike about the book?” and “Who was your favorite character and why?” My discussion questions typically focus on ethical and moral dilemmas, book scenarios applied to real life, and character motivations.
Book Club Questions
Roses’ growth cycle is used to break the book into sections, and roses appear in the story and in its title. Why do you think the author chose roses as a symbol?
Several people try to help Maverick realize that he shouldn’t care what other people think of him. Why do you think it takes so long for Maverick to learn this lesson?
The book revolves around what it means to be a man. Based on the book, what would you say makes someone a real man?
Maverick wants to be like his dad, but when someone finally says he is, it’s for giving money to a drug addict like his dad used to. Is there anyone you used to admire but don’t anymore? What changed?
Do you think Maverick’s negative choices (multiple teenage pregnancies, selling drugs, dropping out of school) would have happened if his father had been at home? What does this book show about the impact of a present, involved father?
If you had been Maverick’s mother, how would you have responded to the first pregnancy? What about the second?
In the case of teenage pregnancy, Maverick’s mother makes him take responsibility for it and supports him in doing so, Iesha’s mother removes her from the situation, and Lisa’s mother kicks her out. What do you think the author wanted to show by including these different responses to the same situation?
This book emphasizes the importance of names. Maverick’s name means “independent thinker.” How does Maverick live or not live up to his name?
At the start, Lisa has braided Maverick’s hair recently, and at the end, he braids her hair. What meaning do you find in the author bookending the story with this image?
Maverick doesn’t understand why Lisa would date him (a gangbanger) but doesn’t want to be with him once there’s a child in the picture. She states that him not seeing the problem is the problem. How would you explain to Maverick what Lisa meant?
When Maverick and Lisa visit the doctor, Maverick is surprised to see several Black people working in the health field. How does seeing/not seeing people like us in certain roles affect what we do or don’t pursue?
Lisa’s brother, Carlos, thinks Maverick is bad for Lisa. Is he right?
After Lisa gets pregnant, Maverick is bothered that she accepts the nice things he does for her but doesn’t want to get back together and flirts with Connor instead. How would you advise Maverick if he complained to you about this? What, if anything, does Maverick owe to Lisa, and her to him, as the parent of their child?
Maverick begins taking care of his child when he’s still legally a child himself. Do you know anyone who had to grow up quickly when becoming a parent? What effect did it have on their life?
Dre pushes Maverick into taking a job at Mr. Wyatt’s shop, even though he doesn’t want it. Who in your life has pushed you to do something you didn’t want to do? Were you later grateful for their intervention?
At the book’s start, King is Maverick’s best friend. By the end, he is his enemy. What factors led King down this road? Is there anyone you have had to part ways with because your values and priorities stopped aligning?
Maverick’s father struggles with his wife moving on from him to Moe. What would you say to him if he were venting to you? If you were Maverick’s mother, what factors would you consider in choosing to move on or not?
Below, you can download a PDF of the Concrete Rose discussion questions to print out and bring to your book club. I hope you have an intriguing discussion!
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