Read this when
Between the World and Me
A father who won't lie to his son about the world, even when lying would be easier. Some love sounds like a warning.
Who it's for
Written as a letter to Coates's fifteen-year-old son, Samori, the book speaks directly about fear as a physical, daily fact: the street and school violence of his Baltimore childhood, his father's beatings, and the killing of his Howard classmate Prince Jones.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Ta-Nehisi Coates's 2015 nonfiction book is written as a letter to his teenage son, Samori. It recounts his Baltimore childhood shaped by constant vigilance against bodily harm, his years at Howard University, and the police killing of his college friend Prince Jones, including a visit to Jones's mother. It reflects on racial violence in America and what Coates calls 'the Dream'.
Where to find it
In print and widely available; libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook read by the author. An HBO adaptation (2020) staged readings of the text.
Before you start
Heads up: Police killings and racial violence.
Age: Ages 14+
We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—Paul Laurence Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask”
