Between the World and Me

Summary & Analysis

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4 stars (81 reviews)

1 edition

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

As a white man, and a father, this was an incredibly important book for me to read. My kids appear and are treated as white, so I don't have to deal with the same kind of fear for them that Coates does. I look at the world a little differently because of reading this. Learning to notice the barriers between the "American Dream" and reality is incredibly important. Each story I hear from those that have always seen that barrier helps make me a better ally, and a better person.

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

No rating

Having started this a few times over the years, today I finally finished it. It just does not resonate with me: it feels preachy; his continuous identification of himself with his body is jarring, his talk of "loss of body" or "destruction of body" feels so weird - but maybe that's just me. It doesn't matter.

I wasn't even going to post this review, but minutes after finishing the book a friend reminded me of Yaa Gyasi's sublime [b:Homegoing|27071490|Homegoing|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448108591l/27071490.SY75.jpg|47113792]. The memories and emotions and tears came flooding back to me, my breath caught, and I'm hijacking this review to say: if you, like me, have struggled to read Coates, try [b:Homegoing|27071490|Homegoing|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448108591l/27071490.SY75.jpg|47113792].

(No rating. My rating is not important nor worthwhile.)

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

5 stars

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said here. It's a fantastic book, written by a fantastic man, about circumstances that shouldn't exist. I'm not the key demographic this book is aimed at, but I still walked away with something, even if that something is a vague sadness at how we ended up here at this point.

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This made such a powerful impression on me. When you pare down to the most essential truth you are left with a body. There may be rhetoric or history or economic conditioning to influence that body but in the end we are bodies. This is such an incredible and painful essay by Mr. Coates. I'm beside myself.

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

2 stars

In the little bit of this book I read, Coates said a number of thoughtful, insightful things. And that's great. But I hate the way he writes this so much. I've read articles by him before that I liked, but the dense and flowery writing of Between the World and Me is like reading a 16th-century pamphlet on a nobleman's struggle with gout.

Often he seems to just be playing with language for the fun of it. His constant use of the word "body" in sentences that would commonly use words like "safety" or "life" seems to have become popular, but to me it is distancing; with Coates, the definition of "body" feels indistinct, becoming whatever he wants it to be in that particular sentence.

According to my Kindle the book can be read in two hours, and I'm sure the guy has a lot of interesting things to say, …

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Between the World and Me is a beautifully penned memoir-letter intended for the author's son, but also profound and meaningful for others, as well. Ta-Nehisi Coates has attempted to communicate what is was like for him to grow up as an African American male in this country during a certain time and how his feelings have been informed by his experiences and his knowledge of history. I found it informative and unforgettable.

I would recommend this to absolutely anyone; it's an important work.

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This small book packs a big punch. The writing is fluid and smart, and the structure - written as a letter to his 15 year old son - helps it land square in your gut. It definitely opened my eyes and helped me understand what it is to be "brown" in the United States - and the sins we're all guilty of, even if our ancestors weren't slave-holders.

Additionally, I hadn't realized Coates was friends with Prince Jones and would write about him in this book. When his name popped up, I stopped, cold. I knew Prince - he worked in my gym and was always ready with kind words and a friendly smile. I remember being shocked when he was killed - but I hadn't realized the greater context of blue-on-black killings at the time. This book would've been powerful without a personal connection to one of his subjects, …

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Powerful, by writing the book as a letter to his son, Ta-Nehisi describes with painful beauty the struggles inherent in being seen as black. Don't read this so you can know or truly understand what it is to be black in this country, read it so you can at least be aware of the totality of the struggle, pain, and horror. Read it only to open your eyes, and try not to forget the lessons when you leave the world Ta-Nehisi reveals through his words, until the final page.

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

What an absolutely brilliant book. This is the first and only piece I've read by Coates, but I feel comfortable calling him one of my favorite authors. I'm tempted to turn around and read this book again right now--it's just that good. If you're interested in understanding what it means to have a black body in America, read this book now.

Review of 'Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

John Brown's raid struck a nerve on the eve of the Civil War because it evoked the white South's deepest fear: that having been the masters they would become the slaves, and that the cruelties they had visited on their "property" would be visited upon them in their turn. This has been the deepest fear of "white" America since both before and after the Civil War, and it explains a great deal about the violence of American policy domestic and foreign. It is reflected to this day in the virulent racism of the white underclass that flocks to the banner of Donald Trump.

To keep our privileged position in the world, we must suppress those of whom we have taken advantage, generally defined as "non-white": whether African American, Asian, African, or Arab. We live with the comment misattributed to George Orwell that "We sleep safely in our beds because rough …

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