Introduction
Racism is a deep-seated challenge in the United States. It can be seen most clearly in the killing of Black individuals by police officers, an incident that repeatedly happens across the nation. Unfortunately, in most cases, the police officers go unpunished. These killings result in protests and campaigns from people who are angry that such acts of discrimination still happen in the twenty-first century (Coates, 2015). Though they are the most visible instances of racism in the United States, the issue, however, goes much more profound; nearly every aspect of public life gets steeped in racism. This paper reviews the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi, it bases on the thoughts of one of America's most insightful authors, and it gives the reader an idea of what it's like to be a Black person in the United States.
It is a nonfiction book written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, published by Spiegel & Grau on 14 July 2015 and has 176 pages. The main themes in the book include (I) Resiliency in the face of racism, (ii) race as the child of racism, not the father, (iii) the American Dream including its prejudices, myths and privileges, (iv) the power of growth or education and awareness, and (v) the irreplaceable value of individual lives, the body, and the collective resources.
The book is in the form of a letter from Coates to his fifteen-year-old son, exploring the effects of racism during Coates' formative years in the 1980s and his son's more modern days as a young Millennial. The book explores the emotional and physical effects of discrimination on African-Americans. It also includes the impact of slavery on Black people, the ideological violence that began from reformation onward, and the different forms of institutional segregation and racism that continue today. Coates discusses the development of race in the United States, in both black and white terms, this book also projects the kind of hope that parents should have for the future. Between the World and Me is a good book, besides it, won the Nonfiction National Book Award of 2015.
The author Ta-Nehisi Coates was born on 30 September 1975 in Baltimore, Maryland. Coates has lived with the typical fears that African Americans have in the United States throughout his life. A couple of events stand out as being the common formative. The first happened in 1986 when the author was standing near a market after school (Coates, 2015). An unknown boy just called him over but never talk to Coates; the boy pulled out a gun brandished it and put it back in his ski jacket. This fleeting instant crystallized the idea that, since he was a Black person, he was always subject to the threat of unexpected and spontaneous violence directed at him. The second event concerned an acquaintance, Prince Jones, whom he met at Howard University. Jones's mother was born in a low-income family, but worked hard was successful in America. However, Jones, her son, who was just engaged to be married and a father, was murdered. One night, while Jones was driving to his fiance's house in Virginia, he was trailed across state lines by a D.C. cop and shot Jones down near his fiance's house (Coates, 2015). The police officer lied that Jones was trying to run him over; unfortunately, he went unpunished. The author then understood that even being in the middle road, working hard to succeed, and keeping your head down could still not guarantee your happiness, safety, or peace as an African American. These experiences weighed massively on Coates; his son's birth gave him newfound purpose to tackle these challenges. As a writer, Coates reflects upon his fears for himself, the African American population, and, above all, his son.
One of the book's most moving sections is the author's break down of the sound, sight, and feeling of this fear usually experienced by the young writer in his Baltimore neighborhood.
Coates connects the killing of Black groups to the machine of looting and violence, which he portrays as the American Dream. Coates' viewpoint buries any thoughts of existing integrity in society.
Coates incorporates the mind and its liberation into this viewpoint. Possibly one of the only systems that Coates appears to agree upon is the long-lived assertion that the manner of the inquest will always have a higher value than the solutions themselves. He remembers an education from his grandmother that the open, infinite, free liberty is vital in awakening awareness. He states that it is the pursuit of understanding freedom. Coates is hopeful about the change that one person can make upon their mind, as evident doubtful or critical concepts that one person can build upon the world can make a change.
Between the World and Me is an exciting book and helps the readers develop critical thinking about racism. One fully understands the notion of racism and discrimination of the African Americans community by reading this book. As evident, racism has been a challenge in the United States for centuries; police brutality among Black people is just one form of racism. However, African Americans have experienced and are still undergoing various kinds of discrimination in workplaces and even employment discrimination; this has been a challenge within the state and should be condemned (Coates, 2015). It is high time every single citizen to come out and help in the war against racism as said by Coates in his book; one person can make a significant change and that change starts with you (the reader).
Coates resolved to dedicate the third and final part book Prince Jones' mother, his classmate, who was shot by a cop of Prince George's county. Although trails of hope exist, Coates advises his son to struggle and continue fighting, for himself, for the oppressors and all the elements of memory and tribute for his family and his name. To end the book, the way Coates does is to accomplish the intentions of his message. Coates does not tuck the reader into bed with the blankets of anticipation, but rather jolts the reader awake.I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to read about the modern American experience, especially in contemporary society. Despite the book being written in 2015, it is incredibly relevant in the current moment. It's also not a complicated read; the ideas are presented well and threaded together in a masterful way that makes his perspective easy to understand. Coates creates a striking empathy with the reader, one can feel his pain and the weight of his fear. That is perhaps the most potent part of the book. The reader comes away with the reality of the doubt and maybe even the drive to do something about it.
