Although the book is only one hundred and fifty two pages long it is still able to create a very clear picture of how the black Americans live their life in the United States of America. ‘Between the world and me’ is one of the major and most successful books of the century and therefore can be expected that the book will remain Store shelves for a long, long time. The timing of the book was extremely intelligent. Originally the writer intended to release a book in October but in the month of July Charleston experienced a terror attack by the white supremacist and therefore releasing the book in such critical time led to even more appreciation by the readers.
Although releasing the book in such time would have backfired but true book like this could never be un-timely. This book is a masterpiece and reveals the truth in a very blunt manner. The book is heartwarming and heart-touching because the writer used the first person to explain and share the gruesome details of how and why there were no charges against the police officer, Darren Wilson, who killed an unarmed black teenager named Micheal Wilson. It is basically a compilation of six chapter long letter that the writer, Coates, wrote to his 15-year-old son because his son was feeling heartbroken because of the injustice suffered by the family of Michael Wilson.
The book touches the heart of the reader because God is using the first person to explain himself deeply and profoundly to his troubled son. The authenticity of the book increases because of the fact that the writer uses his own life experiences to portray the fears and troubles of a black man. He speaks of his own life and the events that made him realize the white Americans view blacks as a lesser race. Coates is using the reality to explain what it means to live a life in America as a black person. He uses his own life experiences both as a father and before you became a father. Through shading tragic immensely saddening truths like the murder of the writer’s college friend at the hands of American police, Coates explains how the family of the murdered teenager must feel. He gives name to the emotions and the emotional turmoil and that the family of Michael Wilson had to go through and still not get justice for the unjustified murder of their son. In addition to this the road it also gives attention to events like confrontation and a heated argument with a middle-aged woman who shoved, Coates’ son while they were at the movies.
The writer provides a mix of both gruesome details of being a black in America but at the same time also provides the happy side of the story by adding warm and joyful memories of his own life including the description of his wife or family get-togethers as well as trips with friends. The purpose behind adding the colorful moments is that blacks of the United States of America also have families and despite the hostility and hate that they face at the hands of the white supremacists, they still find happiness in little joys of life. These warm emotional instances in a black’s life help in overcoming the social difficulties that they face. Although not completely but to an extent the blacks bear the burden of being an outcast because of the love they get in their own homes.
The beautiful way writer choses to proclaim his love for his son is not only unique in nature but makes the heart of every reader, ache with the intensity of their love for their children. Here he explains how parents are not trained in upbringing their children but rather spend their lives in experimentation and making mistakes. The love that parents feel for their children outweighs the mistakes that they make by a large margin. Coates mentions that every black person loves his children in an obsessive manner. Children are all that blacks have. But in addition to this he writes that that the black children are always in danger and the parents worry all the time. Emphasizing the level of danger that a black family suffers in America course adds that rather than waiting for the American street to kill their children it is better if blacks kill their children themselves. Using the first person, makes this part of the book even more emotionally connecting and the reader can feel the pain that writer had to go through in order to share such an ugly fear of his heart.
The book shows the reality of the life of black American but it cannot be said that it is a book of hate. After reading the book one can easily understand that it is actually a love letter written by the writer to his 15-year-old son. The precision and urgency of Coates’ word makes the message ring loud and clear in an achingly true and heartfelt way. It can also be said that writer is trying to portray the realistic version of white Americans’ love for themselves and how that love realizes into hate and hostility for the other races especially the blacks.
To provide a picture of how Coates would like to see this country or how things should be, he uses the word ‘the dream’. In this dream world everything is perfect there are perfect little houses with pretty little lawns and everything is a fairytale. Writer shows his desperation for things to get normal by saying that for so long he has wanted to escape in to the dream but it is not really possible because making the dream come true is the responsibility of the Americans as a whole. writer uses examples from historical events in such a beautiful manner that it not only provides richness of American supremacy it but also speaks of the things that will only grow to be more troublesome for the black Americans.
Works Cited
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the world and me. Text publishing, 2015.
