This work tells many stories. On the surface, it’s Ta-Nehisi Coates’ personal story to his son but it’s also the story of injustice, the story inequity, the story of de facto and de jure policies that have plagued under-served communities… the story for many who never had the chance to tell theirs. Coates takes readers through his journey as he searches for truth, understanding, meaning, reason, safety, and purpose. While it was only one human writing, parts of Between the World and Me feel as if a community–though sometimes disparate in views and diverse in life–was holding the pen.
The memoir should be required reading — both for its use of prose and intellectual thought as well as its honest inquiry into the muddy, painful examination of history. People should read this and think critically about the life they’ve lived and the way they’ve encountered the world. Do your hands tighten against a steering wheel because deathly fear is an appropriate (but unfortunate) reaction to sirens? When you talk to your children about the dangers in society is bigotry one of them? For some, I suspect this book is an affirmation that what they’ve lived is not singular; for others, this should be an engine that drives them to be a better human and advocate for policies that love and lift up others.
Personally, something that has stuck with me is Coates’ mother pushing him to write after wrongs. Reflection, though I imagine, at the time, was forced, was still required to move on. And as a teenager, when thought often trails behind action, the benefit of letting it catch up seems exponential. As I approach fatherhood, a respect for thought is something I will hold paramount. A rod won’t prevent a child from spoil but I do believe sustained reflection might. In the case of Coates, thought not only caught up to action but has lapped it many times over — his ability to think and peel back ponderings is unmatched. The practice instilled by his mother has more than proved its value.
In 2015, Between the World and Me won the National Book Award.
Favorite Quotes / Takeaways: “Hate gives identity” pg 60
“I am ashamed that I I made an error, knowing that our errors always cost us more” pg 97
About the Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates has been read widely as a journalist as well as a writer for two comic book series. He has published five books; the most recent, The Water Dancer, was his first work of fiction. In 2019, he received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.
Daniel Dickey
Daniel Dickey