angiebayne 's review for:

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates

4.0

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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.