Comment

Jan 15, 2018Indoorcamping rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
There is nobody more eloquent, nobody more deep and thoughtful, nobody more insightful, nobody more powerful, nobody more strong and wise and in your face and just plain honest than Ta-Nehisi Coates. If you've ever read anything he's written in The Atlantic, which is where I first became a big fan, you know he's not a simple, quick read. He isn't writing to make you laugh. He isn't trying to get rich. He isn't particularly concerned with you, it seems. He is concerned, it seems to me, with learning hard life stories and sharing them in beautiful, powerful language. Honestly, it takes me twice as long to read some authors than others. Some authors write so much like a friend talking to you on the phone that you breeze through their stories and laugh and learn a thing or two and feel great or smarter after you're done. This author, in everything he's written that I've read, is so eloquent that you can't just read while watching TV or on your laptop checking your mail. Or not paying 100 percent attention to what and how he is conveying information and knowledge. And it's knowledge you can get from this particular book: knowledge of what he knows about being in a black body in this time and place. And it's something I have no idea how you do without having a huge attitude. Instead, reading this is a guidebook to how to get through a day without getting resentful of circumstances and history. And how to get through a day without anger and blame. And how to be the best you can be, if you think about each word and really let it sink in.