Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Some very powerful, thoughtful pieces... Reparations most educational. 3.75 I listened to the audio version. I think I would've enjoyed the written version better.
An eye-opening treatise and a must read...This is a history lesson, a sobering view of the country we call the United States, and an eye-opening look into how a government can oppress a specific part of its population. Coates does an excellent job of describing the struggle and overt, as well as covert, discrimination of blacks in this country.
There are too many events from black history in this book, that I had no idea about, to list. One that stood out to me was the way the GI bill, which provided low cost housing loans, was handled regarding black veterans. Because the local banks and cities were given the power to decide how the bill was implemented, they were able to deny loans to black veterans. Coates goes into this in great detail, so I won’t.
Coates shares the articles he wrote for The Atlantic, spanning the eight years of the Obama administration. He introduces each essay with his comments in retrospect.
This is a must read and an unsettling view of this country. Sadly, it probably won’t be read by those that need to, and based on current attitudes I doubt it would change their minds anyway
This one gets five stars.
There are too many events from black history in this book, that I had no idea about, to list. One that stood out to me was the way the GI bill, which provided low cost housing loans, was handled regarding black veterans. Because the local banks and cities were given the power to decide how the bill was implemented, they were able to deny loans to black veterans. Coates goes into this in great detail, so I won’t.
Coates shares the articles he wrote for The Atlantic, spanning the eight years of the Obama administration. He introduces each essay with his comments in retrospect.
This is a must read and an unsettling view of this country. Sadly, it probably won’t be read by those that need to, and based on current attitudes I doubt it would change their minds anyway
This one gets five stars.
We Were Eight Years in Power is a collection of essays written by Ta-Nehisi Coates for the Atlantic during the Obama years. These essays not only illustrate Coates growth as a writer, but what was going on in the country at large. The essays are each given an introduction where Coates explains his thought process and what was going on when he was writing. You can clearly see that Coates was honing his craft during these years. The first essays while well written and interesting do not quite have the power the final essays do. He really hits his stride with "The Case for Reparations" and "Fear of a Black President". Then the epilogue of "The First White President" about Trump hits you over the head. As a white middle class female I have no experience with what a young black man deals with on a daily basis. However, these essays and other works like this bring that experience into the light and make you think about those who experience life different than you do. I think Coates is a writer that will be studied in years to come. His writing on the black experience is so relatable and raw and powerful. This book took me a long time to read mainly because I could only digest one essay at a time. I had to think about what they said and what they meant. A few changed how I see the world. Others reinforced my opinion on what is going on in the US right now. I don't think this book had the same emotional impact as [b:Between the World and Me|25489625|Between the World and Me|Ta-Nehisi Coates|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451435027s/25489625.jpg|44848425] because it wasn't as personal, but it is still one of the more important books I have read in a while. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Such a sad description of the events that happens before during and little after the elections of Barack Obama, such a disillusionment after the election of trump; I like the way the author has to put everything in perspective, but as I just came back from one month in the U.S., the situation is pretty dire out there and this book helped me understand why people voted for who is even worse than berlusconi ever was, and that's a lot to say.....
Una triste descrizione degli avvenimenti accaduti prima, durante e dopo gli anni di Barack Obama alla casa bianca, una totale devastazione al risultato delle ultime elezioni, ma questo libro nella sua lucida disamina degli eventi, mi ha aiutato a capire come mai la gente abbia votato per trump che é addirittura peggiore di quanto berlusconi sia mai stato, che é dire proprio tanto....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!
Una triste descrizione degli avvenimenti accaduti prima, durante e dopo gli anni di Barack Obama alla casa bianca, una totale devastazione al risultato delle ultime elezioni, ma questo libro nella sua lucida disamina degli eventi, mi ha aiutato a capire come mai la gente abbia votato per trump che é addirittura peggiore di quanto berlusconi sia mai stato, che é dire proprio tanto....
THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!
This was so good, and though some of the points I was really familiar with, Coates has this way of putting things so clearly and concisely in a way that really puts things in perspective. This is a book about politics and white supremacy and how we need to face our history. And be honest about it, and about the impact of Obama and what his presidency meant to so many. You should put it on your list, for sure.
challenging
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced