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.