A review by definitelyjiji
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates

5.0

The beginning of this book quotes George Orwell's essay, 'Why I Write', which is one of my least favourite essays ever because I think George Orwell is a spineless man with a pen. To be fair, I've only read two of his fiction works and 3 of essays. I think this book, Ta-Nehisi Coates' version of that essay, does a much better job of describing his commitment to writing about his "political loyalties". The book is a love letter to writing as much as it is a reflection of his career as a writer. It's a short book, and he writes so well that you want him to go into detail, a few more hundred pages perhaps...

What is 'The Message'? The book certainly builds itself up to bring us to the discussion about Palestine, and most importantly the author's honest account of his revelations and experiences there. I'm not turning to Coates to read about Palestine's fight for freedom, and the message of this book isn't that we should either. The stories about journalism, seeking the truth, discomfort and censorship, stories of belonging, his time in Palestine are all urging the reader to do the same. Seek your truth, read, and listen to Palestinian voices. And if the reader is a writer, like the students he addresses the book to, this message is that much more important to hear.