Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Review by Joanna S., Youth Reviewer
“Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates is an intimate letter from father to son. Coates details American history, “race” and its origins, systematic reinforcements of this idea, and the overall Black experience in America. In this letter, Coates attempts to answer questions his son may have as he grows up, whilst simultaneously providing readers with powerful facts and shocking histories.
There were a lot of quotes that stood out to me as I listened to this novel. Specifically, when Coates wrote to his son: “I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world”. I thought the sentiment was extremely powerful and in a way, heartbreaking. This idea that one must gear up with an accumulation of?knowledge to navigate the world safely, with the necessity ranging in extremity based on our differences.
Reading this felt so necessary. Not only was the idea of a letter from father to son so fascinating, but the execution— the writing, was so beautiful. I listened to the audiobook, and although it was wonderfully done, I found myself having to manually write down quotes and timestamps every time I came across something profound or interesting, rather than highlighting or flagging. For this reason, I’ve come to the conclusion that reading this, and non-fiction in general, traditionally would benefit me more. I feel like I wasn’t able to absorb the book in its full effect. I hope to get my hands on a physical copy so I can reread it in the future and take in everything Ta-Nehisi Coates has to offer in this novel.
Find Between the World and Me at Kitchener Public Library!