Between The World And Me Summary

Between the World and Me has been called a book about race, but the author argues that race itself is a flawed, if anything, nothing more than a pretext for racism. Early in the book he writes, “Race, is the child of racism, not the father.” The idea of race has been so important in the history of America and in the self-identification of its people and racial designations have literally marked the difference between life and death in some instances. How does discrediting the idea of race as an immutable, unchangeable fact changes the way we look at our history? Ourselves? 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 the 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

Coates provides readers with a lesson in American history and explains to his son that race is not reality, but that “Americans believe in the reality of ‘race’ as a defined, indubitable feature of the natural world” (Coates 2015; 7) He brings the reader inside the America in which he lives. He argues that “America’s problem is not its betrayal of ‘government of the people,’ but the means by which ‘the people’ acquired their names,” meaning that America has only ever represented and supported white people, that America was founded on a system of racial bias (6). He draws attention to the struggles that peoples of color, especially black people, have faced. Those struggles generate fear, which is one of the main ideas in the

Between the World and Me, is a framework of the American history and current crisis of racial ideals. The author, Ta-Nehisi Coates, discusses the damaging falsehoods race has caused on black men and woman throughout history and in current situations. Coates’ writes this book as an open letter to his son, with the intention of helping him understand what it is like to live in a “black body” within this world. As well as answering the question of how black men and woman can free themselves from history’s burden.

I feel like kids who live in lower class environment can relate to it the most seeing that most black man in lower environment are targeted more seeing from the places there from. They hold more of a stereotype within society because of the statistics that is a black people fall under we get look at as “dIfferent”’ . Reflecting on what Coates face through his teen and young adulthood years , I feel as if young black mens in this generation can also relate.  Like the case of his friend Prince Jones who was shot and killed by a policemen. In the book You can see him comparing that  story to other event that happen in present time. Like in the book he reference Tamir Rice  and a view others that these were black man that either got killed by the law or just got killed for being black. This why in the book he stated to his son “Always remember that Trayvon Martin was a boy, that Tamir Rice was a particular boy, that Jordan Davis was a boy, like you.” Pretty much Coates is  stating to his son that all these black young men that were being killed were at a young age. AS his song progress growing up he wants him to remember that he should always carry himself with respect and pride and also he reminds him to know that he should be more acknowledge with the fear of being

Ta-Nehisi Coates writes the book Between the World and Me , originally a letter to his son about struggles and reality of being a black boy in America. Though Coates wrote this letter to his son, us too like him needed to grasp the depth and cost of losing our black body in country that was built to destroy it. Coates writes, “ Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body--it is heritage.” The most powerful message encountered in the Coates work Between the World and Me is the concept he narrows in on, which is losing our black body to the systems in which America created to destroy our bodies. Coates writes, “And you know, if you did not before, that the police departments of your country have been endowed with authority to destroy your body.” He describes it as if even in our innocence and humanity, we can still lose our body due to overreactions, misunderstandings, and immature policy of the country we live in. Coates questions himself with the pursuit of how to live in his black body knowing it could be destroyed at any moment. As he narrows in on this question, he realizes that it is unanswerable, but also rewards him with constant interrogation and girded him against the fear of living without his body. He says, “How do I live free in this black body? [...] The question is unanswerable, which is not to say futile.

Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me talks about large portions of the issues confronting today's general public. Coates ponders his own particular life and voices his worries through his narrating. There were numerous takeaways from the novel and is an unquestionable obligation perused for everybody, not simply African Americans.

Coates throughout the book brought up the tragic event of Mike Brown’s murder. He drew parallels between Brown’s case and Jones’, as well as parallels between Brown and his son. Stating that he could see how the extreme acts of violence perpetrated by the U.S police weighed on his son. I shared Coates anger about the disgusting way police treat black people in our country. Actually, I was fuming.

“My mother always talks about how white people have the “perfect” life, but then we (black people) aren’t apart of that “perfect” life, we are suppose to help labor for them so they can get the life they want without us included.” In the novel, Between The World And Me, Ta-nehisi Coates grew up in the streets of Baltimore, where the streets transform every ordinary day into a series of trick questions, and every incorrect answer risks a beatdown, a shooting, or pregnancy. This is the everyday norm of having struggles in Baltimore. But, one day Coates saw on television and media all-around how whites have wonderful and stress free lives. That is the life everyone wants, but whites are the most ones privilege to be able to achieve this goal, or dream. Coates message about the “Dream” and the “Dreamers” is that the “Dream” is an middle class suburban neighborhood, where you don’t have to worry about crime and violence, and “The Dreamers” are white people who created and believe the American dream.

This theme helps illuminate how black people came to be treated in America both when slavery existed and beyond into today’s society. The theme that black people are disposable bodies within American society. Because of the tradition of treating black people as objects or whose value strictly came from their ability to make profit, the idea of what it means to be black in America is imbedded in the danger of losing one’s body. Although slavery has ended, the racism remains as a violence inflicted on black people’s bodies. Coates is more than happy to emphasize that racism is an instinctive practice.

This was a takeaway for me because my father had the same discussion with me. Another takeaway is when Coates says, “he was formed and shaped by the Mecca” (Coates, 40) also known as Howard University. Since I also attend this University, I could really relate to what Coates was saying. The warmth and love that I was reading on the page really resonated with me since I stomp the same grounds that Coates did. I can feel this campus mold me into the man that is strong enough to lead the nation. My final takeaway from the book is Coates feeling towards police officers in personal situations. Coates goes into depth with his personal encounter with PG police officers and the fear he felt in his life while this was happening. I felt this on a personal level because I am a black man in America, and feeling I must shield my life from the same people who are supposed to protect

Coates describes his early forms of education in grades k-12 and the ways in which it shaped his views of the black body. This period of education was a time in which Coates viewed the black body as powerless based on the difficult situation he was living. This early educational experience in Coats’s life was extremely conflicting due to the fact that the

One of the most powerful messages encountered in the book is the importance of valuing yourself as a black being in a predominantly white and racially divided society. Coates explains how despite the fact that this nation has been built on the bones and bloodshed of blacks, the black body has lost almost all

Between the World and Me examines the history and present circumstances of racial inequality and segregation in America. Coates directs the book to Samori to give his audience personal insight into the various stages of a black man’s life. From his childhood, to his college experience, to his complicated role as a father, Coates gradually unfolds a critical account of the relationship between black and white communities. He calls those who “believe themselves to be white” the “Dreamers” and criticizes them for the indifference toward black people 's experiences. He wants the audience to reflect upon themselves and realize that they are part of the problem.

America is supposed to be the land of opportunities. A place where you are free to do anything and become whoever you want to be but this does not apply to everyone. One of the reasons for Coates disagreement is the permanent racial injustice in America. People might think that the war between black and white people is over but this is not true. Daily, we can see many cases about racial injustice like when a white man with power treats other black workers as if they were inferior to him. Not only white people treat black people this way but there are many other cases in which you can see black folks discriminate white folks and this can also be seen through public media. Coates thinks that the war between black people and white people will be a permanent one, and because of this, he is also afraid that his son needs to be more prepared for the

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is an analysis of racial issues in the United States in form of letter from Coates to his son. The novel carries a variety of different messages, however the most vital message in the reading is that it is “traditional for America to destroy the black body”(Coates). As shown in history black people, men, women, and children were held against their will, shackled, beaten, raped, and tortured. Now black people face brutality and injustice in a more covert form, nevertheless still detrimental and still harming. Now, African Americans face police brutality and unjustifiable shootings.