Between The World And Me Analysis

Rachel Pastella
Kime
Coates Book Review
November 10, 2015
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahisi Coates Between the World and Me is an inspiring letter written by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his son, which is evident through the first line of the story where he personally addresses him. In this literature, he captures what it was like for him to witness racism throughout his life, from childhood to present day, in order to teach his son the way American society functions. The book begins with an interviewer asking Coates what it was like to lose his body and throughout the rest of the book, he uses his experiences from growing up to explain to the reader what he means by that specific phrase, “to lose your body.” From living in the poor city neighborhoods of Baltimore, to reinventing himself at Howard University, to becoming a best-selling …show more content…
What exactly is the “American Dream?” Is it characterized by the people who believe in white pickett fences, reliable cars, beatiful homes, steady jobs, and always having a safety net keeping you away from the dangers of society? Or is it the seperation between the people who believe themselves to be “white” and the rest of the world? As a bystander in Coates’ reality, the reader gets a glimpse into his family life and how it has shaped him into the man he is today and also how he is trying to mold his son in hopes to encourage him to create his own path in life. He spoke of visiting his Nana in Philadelphia, something he had always dreaded. She was tough, strong, and had a rough voice; but she had to, she did not have much left.. Coates knew that his grandfather and two of his uncles were dead of unnatural causes, and even brought up later in the book about his friend, Prince Jones. All of these people fallen victim to the harmful affects of being a black man in society, unable to live out the American Dream that everyone so hopefully strived

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