Between the World and Me

I usually give pros and cons for books, but that somehow feels inappropriate, or insufficient, for this. (Although I will say that, perhaps because Coates has a poetry background, much of the writing is smooth and pretty).

This doesn't feel like a book for me to critique, because 1) we come from very different social locations, and 2) it's so personal that critiquing the book on any serious level would simply be critiquing his life experience. Coates is writing a letter to his 15-year-old son about his upbringing and current life as a black man in America. This isn't merely a framing device, it really does read as an intimate diary, the kind of thing you write to your child in case you die, so they will have some guiding life advice from you.

Note: the purpose of this book isn't to “convince” you that America's systems often discriminate against black people. This book isn't an argument, it's a memento. If that's what you're looking for, perhaps try “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander or “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson as starting points.