After it won the National Book Award in November, it can't be news to you that Coates has written a sobering book about what it means to be a Black American in 2015. It's time to read it.
I devoured it in August in a five hour fever dream and was at a loss. It's a complex work full of anger and pessimism, a tale of promising lives cut short even when you play by the rules. Composed as a letter to his 15 year old son, there's not much light and even less hope. What could I do with this? "Live with it," turned about to be the answer.
Now with campuses across the country having a noisy conversation about race, Coates' missive offers some much needed perspective about the institutionalized inequality we have yet to address. Don't be making that face. Listen for a minute.
No comments:
Post a Comment