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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
This is Ta-Nehisi Coates' newest novel chronicling the eight years of Barack Obama's presidency, through his eight-part book- each part representing one year of the presidency. While this lacks the same concentrated power found in his previous works, it still packs a punch with its sobering look at racism in America, even during a time when a Black man was our president. Each of the eight parts consists of one of his essays that were released in the corresponding year, as well as some prefacing notes. This was a bit harder for me to get through than his other work- in part because it was a bit drawn-out and in part because oh my god what is our world. But it is such an important work that I believe will be read for years to come.
*Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
*Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I really, really loved Between the World and Me, so I was very excited to start this new book by Ta-Nehisi Coates and the book does not disappoint in content, though I only gave it four stars because it just can't live up to Between the World and Me in style.
We Were Eight Years in Power is a collection of 8 of his most famous articles during the Obama years, spanning topics from mass incarceration to Michelle Obama's upbringing. All of these articles are still available to read for free, so what really makes this book is Coates' forwards to each one, written after the election of Donald Trump. His hindsight reflection on both what he was thinking/feeling during the time he wrote the article and how Obama's election (and the reaction of white America to it) led to Trump's. Also worth reading is the epilogue where he reflects on "America's First White President" Donald Trump and breaks down all the myths that the "forgotten working class" are the people who elected him.
As a white, liberal, middle class woman, I've had my fair share of thoughts, feelings and fears regarding both the backlash to Obama's presidency and the election of Trump, so it was really interesting to hear and reflect on Coates' experience of the same as a black man. I did find a lot of useful information within the articles and forwards that I want to further research (such as how the Democratic Party led the charge on mass incarceration - no one's hands are clean when it comes to the racist history of our country) and my next read on the subject will be The New Jim Crow - which I intended to read and never got around to.
I'm always interested in hearing and learning from perspectives that are unlike my own, and I think that everyone would benefit from this book as a primer to more in-depth research on the subject.
We Were Eight Years in Power is a collection of 8 of his most famous articles during the Obama years, spanning topics from mass incarceration to Michelle Obama's upbringing. All of these articles are still available to read for free, so what really makes this book is Coates' forwards to each one, written after the election of Donald Trump. His hindsight reflection on both what he was thinking/feeling during the time he wrote the article and how Obama's election (and the reaction of white America to it) led to Trump's. Also worth reading is the epilogue where he reflects on "America's First White President" Donald Trump and breaks down all the myths that the "forgotten working class" are the people who elected him.
As a white, liberal, middle class woman, I've had my fair share of thoughts, feelings and fears regarding both the backlash to Obama's presidency and the election of Trump, so it was really interesting to hear and reflect on Coates' experience of the same as a black man. I did find a lot of useful information within the articles and forwards that I want to further research (such as how the Democratic Party led the charge on mass incarceration - no one's hands are clean when it comes to the racist history of our country) and my next read on the subject will be The New Jim Crow - which I intended to read and never got around to.
I'm always interested in hearing and learning from perspectives that are unlike my own, and I think that everyone would benefit from this book as a primer to more in-depth research on the subject.
I’m a big Coates fan, so I had read most of these essays as they came out, and I was even assigned two of them in both of my grad schools. I thought the re-release with this curation and his reflections on each at the beginning of each year was worth it to republish as a retrospective, knowing what would follow those eight years in power.
This re-read had me reflecting a lot on how my graduate degrees—one which had a predominantly Black student body—were so very influenced by the fact that my education occurred during the “eight years in power.” (I graduated from that specific school in 2016.) It was good to be in conversation with these works again. Coates is one of the great writers of our time.
This re-read had me reflecting a lot on how my graduate degrees—one which had a predominantly Black student body—were so very influenced by the fact that my education occurred during the “eight years in power.” (I graduated from that specific school in 2016.) It was good to be in conversation with these works again. Coates is one of the great writers of our time.
The essays themselves were generally very good, but that's probably a better way to read them. All together there's some repetition and I don't know what to say other than it was a lot.
Definitely read the essays though. They can be found for free on The Atlantic's website.
Definitely read the essays though. They can be found for free on The Atlantic's website.
Also done with this one, after one and a half month! very educational and thought-provoking, especially the epilogue. For his essay on black incarceration I recommend The 13th on netflix as more information material.
As the country becomes inured to the bombastic antics of POTUS, outrage seethes in me, my incomprehension growing daily, along comes WE were eight years in power. In this collection of essays, written between 2008 and 2016, Coates, uses U.S. history, race and inequality as a backdrop to chronicle how DT was elected to the presidency as a backlash to Obama.
Brace yourself, read it, and then ponder the truths in this book for as long as it takes to understand that the ever growing divide in this country, is about race and inequality.
Brace yourself, read it, and then ponder the truths in this book for as long as it takes to understand that the ever growing divide in this country, is about race and inequality.
Brilliant and unflinching - quite frankly, the best book on race in America that I've read in some time.
This book is a compilation of 8 articles Coates wrote during and immediately after the Obama years (all originally published in The Atlantic), spliced with introductory memoirs chapters. If you follow his writing you've probably read the articles before. It was good to reread most. (Though seeing them assembled highlights his narrative 'crutches' -- stories and characters that almost always appear.)
Glad he's around to bring some sober assessment, and I appreciate the framing of the American story as a tragedy that deserves the effort anyway.
Glad he's around to bring some sober assessment, and I appreciate the framing of the American story as a tragedy that deserves the effort anyway.
I don’t know why I decided to read this book specifically *right now* and decided to finish reading this book on Election Day 2020, but...here we are.
I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. This was an insightful and informative collection of essays, and I particularly enjoyed the updated/added context to the essays that were written years prior.
I think the essays that hit me the hardest were the sixth, seventh, and eighth essays — reparations, mass incarceration, and My President Was Black. I learned a lot, and am ashamed to say I was stunned by seeing some of the incarceration statistics in black and white, comparing to previous decades or other countries.
I quickly skimmed the epilogue, so I will need to go back and reread at some point, but not on today of all days. Masterful work, everyone should read this.
I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. This was an insightful and informative collection of essays, and I particularly enjoyed the updated/added context to the essays that were written years prior.
I think the essays that hit me the hardest were the sixth, seventh, and eighth essays — reparations, mass incarceration, and My President Was Black. I learned a lot, and am ashamed to say I was stunned by seeing some of the incarceration statistics in black and white, comparing to previous decades or other countries.
I quickly skimmed the epilogue, so I will need to go back and reread at some point, but not on today of all days. Masterful work, everyone should read this.
Excellent & challenging read. Coates give insights to 8 essays he wrote during Obama's 8 years in office. He gives insight into how & why Trump was elected. As a direct result of 8 years of a black presidency. For those who are unaware of the history of our country that causes such a disparity between blacks and whites in our country, this will open your eyes and enlighten you. When reading and wrestling with these challenging ideas, it is easy to feel hopeless about the future of our country. It is important for all people, especially white people, to understand the role we have played in this disparity and work for change and teach our children to work for change. The final essay of the book was written after Trump's election. It was eye opening to read the statistics of who votes for Trump. In the initial weeks and months after the election, pundits would argue that disillusioned working class whites were responsible for electing Trump. Coates has the statistics to prove that is not the entire story. Well researched, insightful and incredibly well written. I highly recommend.