Between the World and Me To educate his son on the racial conditions in America, Coates shares the many experiences in his life. Coates writes this book to inform his son, Samori, of the world around him and how he may be treated differently in settings that have individuals that judge a person based on their outer appearance. Coates uses his life and experiences to emphasize knowing your self-worth despite what others may believe you are worth. Coates life story includes problems that the country is facing today, in order to show that you must believe in yourself before someone else can believe in you. He refers to the cases of Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Michael Brown and how we live in a country where the police can be seen as…show more content… This showed me that not everyone understands the importance of learning about yourself, as an African American, before trying to learn about others. I can relate to Coates when he speaks about coming to Howard University and being around all the vast groups of people. Howard is where great individuals from all over the world come and network with other great, black individuals. "I was admitted into Howard, but formed and shaped by the Mecca" (page 40). We go to Howard to get the world-renowned education, but the Mecca that we come to know shapes us into the proud people we are. This institution teaches African Americans about themselves and their history. Having knowledge of your history can help to find who you are and see the greatness within you. In order to be seen as great within society, I have to first view greatness within myself. I must push myself harder and further than the next. We are our experiences and it is important to make the best of them and learn from everyone we encounter. We must first view greatness in ourselves, whether in school or in the workplace, in order for others to see greatness within us. Pushing ourselves to make the best impressions and make connections in order to improve our view to others, is a way to grow within
