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Between the World and Me

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Between the World and Me

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF TIME’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF OPRAH’S “BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH” • NOW AN HBO ORIGINAL SPECIAL EVENT

Hailed by Toni Morrison as “required reading,” a bold and personal literary exploration of America’s racial history by “the most important essayist in a generation and a writer who changed the national political conversation about race” (Rolling Stone)

NAMED ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY • NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN • NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST MEMOIRS OF THE DECADE • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY • AN OPRAH DAILY BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE PAST TWO DECADES

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, People, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, New York, Newsday, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly

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 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. Americas Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Discrimination Inspiring Social justice Nonfiction Social Justice
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I found this book hard to listen to, in places, because Coates' pain is so raw, his anger so deep - and yet he has put his message forward with a degree of cool detachment. He knows loud protests etc. have only a temporary effect, and wants to reach people on many levels - the political, social, personal et al. His reading is very engaging too.

The pain of oppression, expressed superbly

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As a first generation Tongan American who grew up in the ghettos of America, Between the World and Me resonated with me in ways I didn’t expect. While Ta-Nehisi Coates’ story is uniquely his, the world he writes about was one I knew well. My closest friends were Black and Latino, and many of the realities he describes were realities I witnessed growing up.

Recently, I heard a hip hop artist describe the genre as a form of cultural exchange. It teaches young people how to navigate the environments they come from while giving outsiders a window into lives they may never otherwise understand. That’s exactly how this book felt to me. It wasn’t simply a memoir. It was a cultural education.

Through Coates’ reflections on growing up in Baltimore, I gained a deeper understanding of not only his journey from boyhood to fatherhood, but also the generational burdens carried by his family, friends, and the wider Black community. Reading it as a father of two sons made it even more impactful, challenging me to think about the responsibility we have to prepare our children for the world they’ll inherit.

I didn’t read this book looking for my own story. I read it to better understand someone else’s. In doing so, I came away with a greater appreciation for experiences that shaped many of the people I grew up alongside. Thought provoking, beautifully written, and deeply human. more impactful, challenging me to think about the responsibility we have to prepare our children for the world they’ll inherit.

I didn’t read this book looking for my own story. I read it to better understand someone else’s. In doing so, I came away with a greater appreciation for experiences that shaped many of the people I grew up alongside. Thought provoking, beautifully written, and deeply human.

Perspective, history & humanity

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I loved this “pamphlet/ letter” with a deep respect and compassion that I know was drawn directly by the author with the same hand that wrote the words - a true experience

Stunning perspective and prose

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Between the World and Me educated me re the ingrained prejudice in American society against African Americans.

Open your eyes and mind

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My intro to this and Ioved it. Between the World and Me is a must read.

A master piece by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

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