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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
one aspect i particularly enjoyed about this text is that coates prefaces each of his previously published eight essays with his current take on them and their topics. and the perspective always offers an insight i found engaging, whether it be about his state of mind at the time, that he should have included more about the sexual assault accusations when writing about bill cosby, or why he thinks his writing is either strong and weak...
intelligent, perceptive, pertinent.
intelligent, perceptive, pertinent.
I'd been meaning to read this, and work book club pushed it up the list. Any one of the chapters would have been good for a discussion, but sadly we only had one session. Coates's introductions and discussion of his own development as a writer were also interesting and would have been equally worthy of a dedicated discussion.
I've read most of these essays as they came out in The Atlantic, but taken together with commentary, they become a unique hybrid of academic and personal writing that construct a more thoughtful overview of the time of Obama's presidency. I'm left wanting more of the personal feelings and insights from Coates, but he always puts himself at a little bit of a remove, a kind of insulation. Since it's a collection of essays, I think I'll find myself coming back to this in the future.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I read this after reading about the diff between Coates and West and honestly I didnt get any of the assertions that Coates is a darling of the Obamas. I think he's light on some of the criticism of that administration, but of course he even states how the Obamas had to be superhuman and overtly greater than any white president to of course be accepted.
It might be a bit much to say this is bittersweet but I really enjoyed how Mr. Coates put this book together. Each essay was preceded by an reflection on what he was thinking at the time. But the last chapter...oof, it hurt. (Not his writing but his message) As we knew it would.
I have become enamoured of The Atlantic, voraciously reading their articles. Including going back and reading some older articles from before I subscribed. Ta-Hehisi Coates has struck me as an intelligent and thoughtful person, so I sought out his book. Plus, he spoke at Author Author here in Bend, and I like to have read books by the authors who are speaking. (I "found" Susan Orlean and Barry Lopez this way, so it has worked out well overall, I adore them both!) I was not disappointed by this book. Some of it is from so long ago, and early in Coates' writing career, that I felt it wasn't as relevant to me, but I found it compelling. I recommend this as a great retrospective of the Obama years, through Coates' lens. And I, as a white guy, will never really understand the world from the perspective of a black man, but I appreciate hearing how he sees/saw the world.
(Listened to this via Audible.)
I took my time with this one, trying to simultaneously absorb it while unpacking my inherent assumptions and reactions. I'm a bigger fan than ever of Coates. highly recommend, but don't expect it to be a comfortable experience.
I took my time with this one, trying to simultaneously absorb it while unpacking my inherent assumptions and reactions. I'm a bigger fan than ever of Coates. highly recommend, but don't expect it to be a comfortable experience.