Book of the Month: Between the World and Me

September 2015

Between the World and Me is another landmark release this September. The book is already out in the US, and has been met with remarkable praise. Perhaps this quote from lauded author Toni Morrison sums it up best: “I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died. Clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates. The language of Between the World and Me, like Coates’ journey, is visceral, eloquent and beautifully redemptive. And its examination of the hazards and hopes of black male life is as profound as it is revelatory. This is required reading.”

The book is an attempt to answer questions about race in America, written in the form of a letter to the author’s 14 year-old son. It’s bold, beautifully written, and comes at a time when US. race relations are a pressing issue. In light of Ferguson and, more recently, Charleston, the book explores America’s racial history and completely redefines the understanding of race and American identity. It’s written as a powerful mixture of personal narrative and gripping reportage, and offers a resonant vision of the future.

Published in the UK this September by Text, we can expect considerable attention. The book’s striking cover has already appeared online in articles and across Twitter, and it is already stirring up debate. As the New York Observer puts it, Coates is “The single best writer on the subject of race in the United States.” This is a topic that travels further that the US. It is universal, and UK readers will find the book as powerful and as lasting.