The Message

At one point in his narrative, upon hearing for the first time about an act of violent, murderous land theft, which had happened less than a lifetime ago upon the very ground he was standing upon, Coates asks his archeologist guide to “Stop”—stop talking and explaining—that he needs to sit down to process the truth of what he’s just learned, since it negated everything he’d understood and been conditioned to accept and believe prior.Indeed this book, and Coate’s brilliant, profound, graceful gift of sharing harsh truths, will haunt me in the same way, for a very long time: I needed to sit down, too, after finishing it.Within the harsh truths Coates shares with us is a profound plea for us to acknowledge them, awakening ourselves enough to seek and demand universal justice and an end to racialized violence.What also comes across is Coate’s own sense of deep remorse at realizing he didn’t fully comprehend the truth—like most of us, he’d believed and accepted what he’d studied, and been told by respected peers and colleagues—because what he’d been told was the uplifting story of an oppressed people who had ultimately triumphed over their oppressors.It is a heartbreaking shock to learn that victims of violent, racist, genocidal oppression can ultimately be so traumatized by it, they sometimes become perpetrators of the same racist violence themselves.His intent is that we begin to simply acknowledge the harshest truths shared by the very people who are currently being ethnically cleansed and annihilated by racially-motivated oppression and violence: the Palestinian people, since 1948—exactly as we acknowledge the oppression and genocide of the Jews!—and that we become haunted by the injustice enough to not only more fully comprehend the truth of our shared reality, but to also better acknowledge who WE are, and what has been done in our name. And to demand and end to it. “Stop.”Can we ultimately see how racism and violent colonialism diminishes us? I hope so. From this sobering revelation, we, and our proxies abroad, might actually begin to do better, and be better, as a more humane, just and truly democratic nation. We might actually start to save the world.

Provocative and thought provoking. Well researched and well written accounting of events and experiences. His love of language is both helpful and problematic. On the one hand, he’s so good with words that he makes you experience Events and ideas at a deep level. On the other hand, he sometimes indulges in unnecessarily complex descriptions when a few words would have more impact. All in all, this is a book that should be required reading for anyone who is interested in examining the issues of race and ethnicity.

One of the most authentic, well-written, factual accounts of a collective history that still manifests present day. Coates’s literary excellence and unique style shines through but what is more compelling is his empathy and integrity and the responsibility he carries as a writer. Beautifully written despite being heartbreaking at times. Coates pulls you into the story with him so you feel every word. This book is life changing.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of those extremely rare people with empathy, conscience, integrity, and courage, coupled with an exceptional writing talent. This courage will put him in the cross hairs of the foreign lobbying group called the AIPAC, expect very soon a fully organized character assassination smearing campaign, accusing him of every human fallibility and flaw, from being naive to being anti semitic to a jihadi sympathizer etc., none of which could be further from the truth, he’s just a decent human being who saw and understood and was shocked by the obvious reality twisted by the likes of CNN etc., and is brave enough not stay silent.A hint of what to come, see all the one star reviews from non verified buyers of the book, ie they haven’t read it, I think anyone with a little common sense will see the pattern there.

Such a beautiful writer. There is a gentleness that I believe allows him to be heard by a wide swath of people. He does not have the rage of Baldwin. He can use words to paint a powerful picture as when he compares Leon Uris’ Exodus to D.W. Griffith’s Birth of A Nation

Would have never picked this up until I saw the viral interview by Tony D on CBS on youtube. Of course, I have been a long time fan of Coates, but didn't even realize this had been published until I saw the interview. So, thank you Tony!That said, this book is incredible. I love Ta Nehisi's prose and his exploration of Senegal, South Carolina, and Israel / Palestine. His ability to see the world through other's lens is unparalleled. One of my favorite books of 2024 so far - legendary.

Mr. Coates has written an emotionally challenging book. He ask us to look at what is not seen, what is not written about and search for the truth. Mr. Coates let's us know that we have all played a part for intentionally not looking at what can not be. America can not be the oldest democracy with the likes of gerrymandering. Israel cannot be the only democracy in the Middle East when they don't see Palestinians as humans. Mr. Coates challenges all of us to stop relying on stories told from the perspective of the oppressor. We need stories as told by the oppressed to see what is missing. This is another excellent book by Mr. Coates and you can feel how emotionally challenging and difficult it was for him to write this book.

If I were asked to summarize this book in 20 seconds, much like Ta-Nehisi Coates was expected to summarize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a recent interview, I'd paraphrase parts of the book and say:Ta-Nehisi Coates is the type of writer who captivates a reader, drawing them in with the inescapable gravity of a black hole, much like the writers in whose orbit he traveled as a kid. In few other hands could essays about teaching, book bans, and trips to Senegal, Israel, and Palestine form such a poignant gestalt.Coates' books will change you, will haunt you, and you, too, will want to jostle a passerby and ask, "Have you read this yet?"

It is an essay full of personal stories that link current events with historical context, and very moving overall. Somewhat disjointed.