Between the World and Me is a piece of non-fiction. That's an understatement. As a reader who "likes to think of himself as white", as Coates would say, I find it interesting to read a book that is clearly not addressed to me. At least not directly. The book is framed as a letter to the author's 15 year-old-son, telling him about the reality of being black in America, surrounded by the majoritarian "dream." To the extent that I can comprehend what it must be like to live under those conditions in a country that prides itself on being "the greatest country the world has ever known", I can only find the message courageous and disheartening. Coates does not offer his son any real hope that the dream will change, but just wants him to survive, which is not a given considering the real dangers facing young black men in America today. Two personal observations: (1) race is the defining feature of life in America and there is a legacy of sick race relations that has not been resolved; (2) just as Fredrick Douglass said in his discussions of slavery, racism negatively impacts both the oppressed and the oppressor. Without being able to truly understand it, I can feel the blast of the rage that motivates the book. Oprah said that it's a "must read" for everyone, and I do agree with her assessment.
For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/books/review/ta-nehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me.html?_r=0
For a review of the book from NY Times, click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/books/review/ta-nehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me.html?_r=0
