Reviews with content warning for Death - Between the World and Me

Coates had written Between the World and Me for his 15-year-old son. The first part depicts Coates growing up in a stricter household. His parents would teach him to keep his wits about him. He was supposed to stay away from trouble. Coates quickly noticed and learned that he was treated differently from his white counterparts.

The second part depicts him as a young adult exploring the world. While in college he began to learn about how the world around him, outside of America. When he started to talk to other's in his black community he discovered that not everyone has hatred. When he traveled to France there was no fear but he still couldn't help but be wary of what awaits him. Not to mention when one of his old classmates was followed and killed by a police officer after another fellow black was killed by a police officer.

The last part Coates talks to the mother of Prince Jones, Coates's old classmate, and talks to her about her grief, pain, and how hard it is not to fight.

After reading this book again after high school I feel like I gained a new perspective. In high school I don't think I paid too much attention of what was going on so I didn't fully appreciate this book. Now as a young adult still witnessing the same black hate and police brutality this book has felt like witnessing the same death all over again. This felt necessary to read as it was heart-breaking. More people need to read this work even after it ends.

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jadeanne's review

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Beautifully written, powerful book. Coates creates such a vivid picture of what it's like to be black in America, and the world. His discussion, and storytelling, is so well done. I learned a lot from reading the book and it deepened my understanding of racism. The writing itself is also outstanding.

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indeedithappens's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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betsw's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

A beautifully and poetically written book that reflects on the current state of White American culture and its refusal to take a critical look at itself, and the impact of that obstinance on Black Americans. Written as a letter to the author's teenage son, this book examines the motivations and impacts of modern US white supremacy and the way it infiltrates every facet of life. It includes both a system-level examination as well as poignant personal anecdotes. Deeply insightful, and not meant to make the reader feel hopeful, it nonetheless inspired me to keep doing the challenging work of unpacking biases and understanding our own country from a lens I was not raised to look through.

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