February Group Read -- Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates has received acclaim for this letter to his son on what it means to be an African American man in the US today. Between the World and Me won a National Book Award and has ended up on more "best of" lists that I can count.

So let's get reading and see what we think about this book. Since this is a short book, let's go ahead and not worry about spoilers.

Here are a few articles for background.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/25/why-do-white-people-love-ta-neh...

http://www.npr.org/2015/11/21/456879598/ta-nehisi-coates-on-his-work-and-the-pai...

http://www.newyorker.com/podcast/out-loud/bonus-ta-nehisi-coates

Thanks for opening the thread! I have requested a copy from the local library, but they need to get it from another library, as they don't have the English version here. I hope to get it this week, let's see...

There are still 2 people ahead of me on the library line, but I'll join in the discussion once I get it. Thanks for setting up the group read!

I have my copy, but need to finish a couple other books before beginning. I may bump it to the top, thought.

I also have a couple of other books to finish and then I'll start on this one.

I also have a couple of books to finish but I'm really, really looking forward to it!!

I got it from the library today and will start it within the next few days. :)

I have this book but I won't start until the second half of the month.

Since this is such a slender book, I expected to breeze right through it. Instead, I'm being forced to slow down and think about what Coates is saying. It's not a comfortable read.

...a society that protects some people through a safety net of schools, government-backed home loans, and ancestral wealth but can only protect you with the club of criminal justice has either failed at enforcing its good intentions or has succeeded at something much darker.

I had earlier read an article about housing discrimination, which was much more widespread and lasted much longer than I had thought. I think that there are a large number of things that I get to remain oblivious of if I choose, because I am who I am. I need to make a conscious effort to understand rather than to expect the experiences of others to be similar to my own.

I'm making the same experience. It is a short book in terms of pages, but it requires time and attention. I'm only 50 pages in, but like it so far. It is beautifully written and certainly broadens my horizon. As non American I have not been aware of many of the details, so the book is very interesting, not always in a positive way, though.

I thought I was going to be able to blow through this, but after the first few pages realized it wasn't the case. I'm hoping to devote a few uninterrupted hours this weekend to read it.

Totally forgot to post here, so I'm doing it now. My review:

Between the World and Me is the letter of a black man to his son, warning him of the world's injustice and at the same time reminding him of beauty and love. This book shows how the blind people "who think they are white" cannot see that their own "Dream" was built on the fear, struggles and deaths of the black population. This book is honest, cruel and provides insights into the life of a black American man in the United States. Though-provoking.
I cannot judge what Ta-Nehisi Coates describes. I am not black, I am not male and I am not American. And that's also the reason why I cannot give the book more stars. I sometimes had a hard time relating to what the author writes, because I grew up in quite different surroundings and can hardly see any of his thoughts in e.g. my Afro-German cousin. (I really should talk to her about her experiences. To be honest, I have no clue what it might be like, if she ever faced any problems...) I still recommend to read this book, though. It certainly opened my eyes, more than news about another shooting from the US ever could, and the almost poetic writing makes the book even more worthwhile to read.

Regarding the writing style: I struggled with it in the beginning, but liked it better the more I read.

I'm glad you posted as I was having problems finding this thread again so I could post. Here were my thoughts on it.

This book may suffer from my very high expectations. I had read so many wonderful things about the book I expected to be blown away. Instead I found myself frustrated with the format as it was primarily a steady stream of concisiousness. While short, this is not a book that can be quickly breezed through in an afternoon. It will challenge your beliefs, most likely make you mad at some point (if not many), and cause sadness. For me my main sadnes was in how angry and fearful he is and how he seems to be trying to pass along that fear to his son. Lots to digest and I'm sure I'll be thinking about it for a while.

My book club meets on Wednesday to discuss this book and I'm hoping for some lively discussion.

I've finally finished Between the World and Me. It is certainly a book that requires a lot of thought. I found it eye-opening to see life through a different lens and it reminded me that just because I experience the world in a certain way, that does not make my experiences universal. The most important thing about this book is the conversation it has opened - an uncomfortable conversation certainly - but one put off for too long.

I'm so thankful for this book. The ideas are more than I can contemplate in regular life-- feels like it needs an academic discussion with a paper to write to dig into the text to my satisfaction-- but I'm still thankful for Coates' raw honesty. I'm thankful for quotes that connect history like this: "The Dreamers accept this as the cost of doing business, accept our bodies as currency, because it is their tradition. As slaves we were this country's first windfall, the down payment on its freedom. After the run and liberation of the Civil War came Redemption for the unrepentant South and Reunion, and our bodes because this country's second great mortgage. In the New Deal we were their guestroom, their finished basement. And today, with a sprawling prison system, which has turned the warehousing of black bodies into a jobs program for Dreamers and a lucrative investment for Dreamers..." (131-132)

I didn't read Coates' letter to his son as one as fear-filled but honest, imploring his son to find life in the midst of reality by continuing to ask questions that bring clarity to lived experiences.

My practical side wants to jump to: what now? If this is true, what do we do? Of course, Coates has none of these desires in this book. He doesn't seek to give answers and I'm thankful for it. Art isn't about answers. And yet, I want my interactions with his work to change me.