Gio'
The Message – 5 Stars
Before starting a book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, you have to sleep well, breathe deeply, and tense your abs—because you’re about to get punched in the stomach repeatedly.
The structure feels a little unconventional, not perfectly cohesive, but that doesn’t stop the book from delivering "the message" powerfully in multiple ways.
What makes the bitter pill easier to swallow is Coates' masterful prose and precise, controlled tone—not angry, not hyperbolic, just right. He is an extremely technical writer with a lot to say, and he says it with precision and depth.
This book left me emotionally drained, and while I can’t read books like this every week, I’m glad I didn’t miss this one.
A minor note: Coates narrates the audiobook himself, and while he does a great job making it even more real, he speaks a bit faster than professional narrators—I had to slow down my usual listening speed.
The Message – 5 Stars
Before starting a book by Ta-Nehisi Coates, you have to sleep well, breathe deeply, and tense your abs—because you’re about to get punched in the stomach repeatedly.
The structure feels a little unconventional, not perfectly cohesive, but that doesn’t stop the book from delivering "the message" powerfully in multiple ways.
What makes the bitter pill easier to swallow is Coates' masterful prose and precise, controlled tone—not angry, not hyperbolic, just right. He is an extremely technical writer with a lot to say, and he says it with precision and depth.
This book left me emotionally drained, and while I can’t read books like this every week, I’m glad I didn’t miss this one.
A minor note: Coates narrates the audiobook himself, and while he does a great job making it even more real, he speaks a bit faster than professional narrators—I had to slow down my usual listening speed.