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daumari's review against another edition
5.0
You may have already read these essays of Coates' in The Atlantic as they were posted, but they're worth a revisit, especially when paired with introductions that contextualize where Coates was in his career and the thoughts as he wrote these pieces. The title comes from a quote at the end of Reconstruction, and it's pretty apt as we've entered a period where the segment who identify primarily as White want to reassert their power.
heathercottledillon's review against another edition
5.0
This collection feels like a blend of journalism and essay with a bit of memoir as well. Ta-Nehisi Coates has gathered his best pieces of writing from the years of Barack Obama's presidency and pulled them together with new commentary for each. With extensive reporting, relevant historical research, and incredible insight, Coates examines the situation of black Americans throughout Obama's presidency and in light of the backlash to Obama that fueled the election of Donald Trump, and considers the impact of it all on American history.
Coates' "Between the World and Me" is brilliant, but this is even better, in my opinion, which is remarkable considering that the essays were written over a period of more than eight years. Most compilations of short works have at least a few weak pieces, but every single thing in this collection is profound, though you can see the evolution of Coates' writing in each successive year. Coates is a master at blending relevant statistics, facts, and history into a compelling narrative that includes his own story. He shows how white supremacy has been not just a small part of history that we can sweep under the rug but actually a defining element of American culture and a fundamental influence on U.S. politics, from 1776 to today. He demonstrates why the election of a black President does not mean we are living in a post-racial America. Many of us already knew that, but no one puts it all together better than Ta-Nehisi Coates. "We Were Eight Years in Power" is a must-read.
Coates' "Between the World and Me" is brilliant, but this is even better, in my opinion, which is remarkable considering that the essays were written over a period of more than eight years. Most compilations of short works have at least a few weak pieces, but every single thing in this collection is profound, though you can see the evolution of Coates' writing in each successive year. Coates is a master at blending relevant statistics, facts, and history into a compelling narrative that includes his own story. He shows how white supremacy has been not just a small part of history that we can sweep under the rug but actually a defining element of American culture and a fundamental influence on U.S. politics, from 1776 to today. He demonstrates why the election of a black President does not mean we are living in a post-racial America. Many of us already knew that, but no one puts it all together better than Ta-Nehisi Coates. "We Were Eight Years in Power" is a must-read.
thechanelmuse's review against another edition
5.0
“America is literally unimaginable without plundered labor shackled to plundered land, without the organizing principle of whiteness as citizenship, without the culture crafted by the plundered, and without that culture itself being plundered.”
“And I now knew that the line dividing black and white America was neither phenotypical, nor cultural, nor even genetic. In fact, there was no line at all, no necessary division of any kind. We were not two sides of a coin. We were not the photonegative of each other. To be black in America was to be plundered. To be white was to benefit from, and at times directly execute, this plunder. No national conversation, no invocations to love, no moral appeals, no pleas for ‘sensitivity’ and ‘diversity,’ no lamenting of ‘race relations’ could make this right. Racism was banditry, pure and simple. And the banditry was not incidental to America, it was essential to it.”
There is so much to unpack from this raw, honest, dense collection of eight essential essays originally published in The Atlantic—one penned each year of the Obama presidency—providing an extensive, detailed analysis on the framework of white supremacy in America built on “black plunder and white democracy,” chattel slavery, racism, segregation, racially motivated violence and coldblooded killings, mass incarceration fostering things such as racially discriminatory practices (Jim Crow laws, redlining, housing policies, bank policies), making way for America's first white president to bloom what had been planted and watered for centuries.
“Trump truly is something new—the first president whose entire political existence hinges on the fact of a black president. And so it will not suffice to say Trump is a white man like all the others who rose to become president. He must be called by his correct name and rightful honorific—America’s first white president.”
EVERYONE needs to read this book.
“And I now knew that the line dividing black and white America was neither phenotypical, nor cultural, nor even genetic. In fact, there was no line at all, no necessary division of any kind. We were not two sides of a coin. We were not the photonegative of each other. To be black in America was to be plundered. To be white was to benefit from, and at times directly execute, this plunder. No national conversation, no invocations to love, no moral appeals, no pleas for ‘sensitivity’ and ‘diversity,’ no lamenting of ‘race relations’ could make this right. Racism was banditry, pure and simple. And the banditry was not incidental to America, it was essential to it.”
There is so much to unpack from this raw, honest, dense collection of eight essential essays originally published in The Atlantic—one penned each year of the Obama presidency—providing an extensive, detailed analysis on the framework of white supremacy in America built on “black plunder and white democracy,” chattel slavery, racism, segregation, racially motivated violence and coldblooded killings, mass incarceration fostering things such as racially discriminatory practices (Jim Crow laws, redlining, housing policies, bank policies), making way for America's first white president to bloom what had been planted and watered for centuries.
“Trump truly is something new—the first president whose entire political existence hinges on the fact of a black president. And so it will not suffice to say Trump is a white man like all the others who rose to become president. He must be called by his correct name and rightful honorific—America’s first white president.”
EVERYONE needs to read this book.
desheebasara's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
My black friend suggested this to me, I get why. I am sorry. Black lives matter
lynecia's review against another edition
4.0
Though I read a handful of these when they were published, re-visiting them still leaves me with much to chew on and grapple with. When you are dealing with an intellectual giant like Ta-Nehisi Coates, that grappling is to be expected.
The author chose 1 piece of writing from each year of the Obama administration and accompanied each piece with a new essay, discussing the piece itself, what key events from that year may have shaped its writing and, also some humble self-critique. I appreciated the humility, but I still find Coates' mastery of the longform piece - part reportage, part criticism, part memoir to be just that -- masterful.
I plan on reading through these pieces again, and exploring further many of the sources that aided in a lot of the research and source material.
Personally, I think "The Case For Reparations" may be one of THE BEST longform pieces ever written. If you pick that up, go straight to that one, it won't disappoint.
The author chose 1 piece of writing from each year of the Obama administration and accompanied each piece with a new essay, discussing the piece itself, what key events from that year may have shaped its writing and, also some humble self-critique. I appreciated the humility, but I still find Coates' mastery of the longform piece - part reportage, part criticism, part memoir to be just that -- masterful.
I plan on reading through these pieces again, and exploring further many of the sources that aided in a lot of the research and source material.
Personally, I think "The Case For Reparations" may be one of THE BEST longform pieces ever written. If you pick that up, go straight to that one, it won't disappoint.
dinasamimi's review
4.0
I have been trying to read this book for years and it has been very stop and go. In 2022, a lot of these ideas don't feel as fresh and there is a bit too much repetition throughout the collection. I do love how Coates sets the scene for each essay and incorporates memoir. Those moments shine. The last few essays were standouts and brought the whole thing together.
tildahlia's review
5.0
Devastating. Lyrical. Beautiful. Coates will cut you deep with his beautiful words. A thoughtful reflection of Obama’s 8 years woven together with vignettes from Coates’ own life at the time. It makes you think about race, power, a meaningful life, why we should resist oppression.