Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Hardcover, 152 pages

English language

Published July 14, 2015 by Spiegel & Grau.

ISBN:: 978-0-8129-9354-7
OCLC Number:: 923007023

(10 reviews)

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to …

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

-front flap

4 editions

bwaber reviewed Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

A Powerful, Personal, and Challenging Mix of Autobiography and Philosophy

5 stars

Framed as a conversation between Coates and his son, this part autobiography, part history, part philosophical reflection on American history and the centrality of racism and Black oppression is a truly unique book. It's deeply intimate, using those personal experiences to illustrate fundamental truths about being Black in America. The one very minor outlier were the sections on Paris that paint a naively rosy picture - it's arguably the most segregated city in the world. As an aside, Howard University should send this book to all prospective applicants, since after reading the book I'm now convinced that I need to recommend it to everyone. Highly recommend

Matt McManus reviewed Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Review of 'Between the World and Me' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Crushing

The weight of this book is crushing. It is raw and scathing. It's full of love and tenderness. It's left my head spinning and my heart aching.

Michael @ Knowledge Lost reviewed Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Review of 'Between the World and Me' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Between the World and Me is a collection of essays that Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote to his son. In this collection, Coates reflects on the state of the world and the history in America over the last 150 years. Covering the history and his own personal story of growing up as an African American and attempting to answer some of the questions that his adolescent son might have about the world.

I have always struggled to review a collection of essays and Between the World and Me is no different. What can I say about this book that Ta-Nehisi Coates has not said already, apart from the fact that this is an impressive collection and very informative? Ta-Nehisi Coates is an elegant writer and I found so much beauty in the words, despite the fact that it was a very unsettling subject matter.

One thing that really stood out to me, is the fact Ta-Nehisi Coates offered no answers, no solutions and no hope. He comes across as feeling hopeless in the situation; like racism is never going to end. While this focuses on racism in America, it still manages to get the reader thinking about the topic in their own country. I buddy-read this book with Hanaa from Craving Books who is a Canadian, so we both were not American but still got a lot from the book.

This is an important book and while there are no answers to be found in Between the World and Me, I think just reading this will be a good start. Understanding is an important part of change, and if we can somehow get everyone understanding just how bad the situation, we might get change. Ta-Nehisi Coates really knows how to write and I find myself wanting to read more of his books; I know he has written a memoir called The Beautiful Struggle. I hope he continues to write, and I would love to see him try fiction, but until then everyone should read Between the World and Me.

This review originally appeared on my blog; www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/non-fiction/between-the-world-and-me-by-ta-nehisi-coates/