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

Between the World and Me, written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, is written as a letter to his son about realities associated with being black in the United States of America. His tone is somewhat poetic and quite bleak, based on his personal experiences. The book is intense, it is an address to a nation that ignores its own blatant history of racism, a nation that does not prosecute police officers who kill innocent black citizens, a nation that supports a policy of mass incarceration. He writes about growing up in Baltimore, Maryland and details the ways in which institutions (school, police, and the streets) discipline, endanger, and threaten to harm black men and women. Between the World and Me is an intimate confession of the fears of a black American father.

In Between the World and Me, Coates created a very liberating and wisdom-filled experience for his readers. This knowledgeable black man made the decision to pass down his wisdom to his son, Samori, after realizing that his son was disappointed with the verdict of the Mike Brown case. The raw exposure of the realities that a black body faces in society was engulfing, especially with America’s present political climate. I can honestly say this reading piqued my interests with its message, and forced me to face the truth about our country’s blatant disregard for the black body.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, may be addressed to Coates’ son. However, the messages within the book are relevant and important towards our society. While Coates mentioned many themes, the most powerful message was the concept of race. He states that race and racism are man-made concepts created in an attempt to establish a social hierarchy favorable towards “white” supremacy. These very notions are what our “free” country was built upon and are still dealing with today. The police brutality, the hate crimes, the mass incarceration, these are continuous tactics against our community to promote the racism and supremacy within America. This message forces you to think and wonder, “How could you be considered a free country, when every concept is based this unnatural theory?”

Ta-nehisi Coates' book, Between the World and Me, completely enlightened me on what is it to look at America through the eyes of a black individual. I could never say I know what it feels like to be discriminated against in the biblical portions black America faces throughout every day of their lives. Coates delivers his message by deliberately describing every punch and blow black people have to overcome in order to live in America.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates The novel between the world and me is a collection of letters written by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son about his experience growing up has a black man in America. In this short book, he shares his journey growing up with "woke" parents in Baltimore and dealing with gang violence. Then he writes about his time at Howard University' where he hung out in Founders Library reading Baldwin and then he speaks about his experience with police brutality.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a book that demands attention in today 's society where racism and hostility towards the black community are still very common. The book is written in the form of a letter to Coates’s son where he examines the black body and how it is viewed in the world by white americans. Coates gives insight into relevant social justice issues such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin and provides an intense reality depicting the life of those in the black community. Coates describes his life growing up and explains the ever changing realizations he comes to regarding the black body as he grows and develops. He takes the readers on a journey through his experiences and education, allowing us to directly see his opinions regarding the black body develop and reshape over time. Coates focuses in on his different forms of education and how they influenced his opinions on power and freedom of the black body. Ultimately through his life experiences and education Coates realizes that the black body can be viewed as simultaneously powerful and powerless within society.

After reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I felt that the most powerful message in the book was Coates’ assertion that African Americans are striving for the “Dream” which is in fact unreachable. The “Dream” is supposed to be the desire of people to live in a big house with a white picket fence and a big yard, however because it was built on the backs of black people, literally, it is not something that is a realistic goal or a realistic dream. Coates wants his son to realize that America has been built on the marginalization of black people and other minorities and that because of this, it is not a place which will allow races that white people have deemed as “lesser” to prosper. The first major takeaway that I got from reading

Between the World and Me is a 2015 book written by Howard graduate, Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates frames the book in the form of a letter to his young son, Satori, who is just 15 years of age at the time that the work is published. Coates’ primary purpose for writing the book is to educate his son on the struggles that come along with being a black being in America. The book was written in the midst of the deaths of black males such as Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and Tamir Rice. It is the lack of appreciation for the African American body that inspires Coates to write this emotional, eye-opening letter to his son and American society.

My initial thoughts of Between the World and Me were that of any student being assigned to read, ‘Here goes just another book that must be read, no matter how one feels on the topic.’ The first few pages of the book created a mood of oppression across America for the ones not living “the Dream.” Coates speaks on how race is really an illusion created from racism; moreover, we as people will eventually become something else over time. A suburban lifestyle where no one person lives in fear, poverty, or oppression is the Dream. The Dream only white Americans have the privilege of experiencing to its fullest, for African Americans are forced to sit idly by as the Dream is further built upon their backs.

Between the World and Me is a long letter that Ta-Nehisi Coates writes to his teenage son, Samori. Coates uses history and past experiences to express to his son how America does not value the black man’s body. Coates starts by telling of what it was like for him growing up in Baltimore. How he saw black men dress and carry themselves in attempts to possess themselves and power. He then talks about the awakening of his black consciousness at Howard University. Howard is where he first started learning about the contributions of black people in American history. He also was introduced to a variety of different types of black people. Howard is also where Coates experienced the death of a close friend, Prince Jones, that catapults the most powerful message in his novel; The American Dream is an insidious idea glorified by whites and the media that was built on the marginalization of black people.

“What I told you is what your grandparents tried to tell me: that this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” (Coates). This powerful quote exemplifies the mistreatment of blacks in America as something that has been prevalent throughout our nation’s history and is still present in our contemporary world. Our national founding document promised that “All men are created equal”. As a nation we have never achieved the goal of equality largely because of the institution of slavery and its continuing repercussions on American society.

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

Learning historical poetry, attending Howard University, and traveling to various battlefields were just some of the actions that helped Coates create this letter directed to his son. If it wasn’t for these life-actions Coates had went through the past couple decades, then he wouldn’t have been able to deeply answer life’s questions on why “we aren't all equal”. Having experienced stories of discrimination, one would be able to pinpoint various factors on why this has been done to those respective individuals. In conclusion, I have given various ideas towards my beliefs regarding the text “Between the World and Me” written by Ta-Nehisi Coates. If these horrible tragedies haven't occurred in the past, then none of these complications of color-discrimination would plague the country today. We would all live in equal societies, where the color of your skin wouldn't change the fact of who you personally are. In the end, one idea that I can conclude would be that Coates had fully answered the question regarding the discriminatory actions towards blacks. All the author wants to show readers in the world is that we are all equal, and the color of your skin personally shouldn't change that. Understanding that train of thought, I completely agree and will invoke the idea that everyone in the country is equal, and that color is