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A review by jiujensu
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Must of the interviews are focused around the last chapter of the book where he tells about his awakening on the Palestine issue that he started on a recent visit with a group from the Palestine Festival of Literature. (His talk with Rashid Khalidi at Palfest is on YouTube, excellent). He had written some things in A Case For Reparations that he wanted to correct after the trip. He's done there what many writers should be doing - going to the source. When you know better, you do better. He sort of makes you think throughout this chapter, though, that maybe he hasn't learned as much as he thinks (as represented by interviews) but by the end, he addresses that problem in thoughts on learning about Deir Yasin after retuning home.
But to ignore the rest of the book would be a huge mistake. He talks about falling in love with language, his trip to Senegal, identity, journalism, who has the right to tell the stories, something that has always interested me.
All in all, by the very end, great book. Though I'd be lying if i said I wasn't taking notes because I thought I was going to have to write a super critical review through most of the last chapter. He saved it in the end.
But to ignore the rest of the book would be a huge mistake. He talks about falling in love with language, his trip to Senegal, identity, journalism, who has the right to tell the stories, something that has always interested me.
All in all, by the very end, great book. Though I'd be lying if i said I wasn't taking notes because I thought I was going to have to write a super critical review through most of the last chapter. He saved it in the end.