Between the World and Me Book Summary

Book Summary

15 min

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Brief Summary

Unless you’re Black, you cannot truly know what it means to be Black in America. Coates shares the distance between his experiences as a Black man and the white world that sets the rules and norms.

Even though slavery was abolished and racial discrimination is illegal, racism still exists. Just because something doesn’t specifically use race as a reason doesn’t mean it’s not racist.

The traditional education system is usually white-run and not relevant to the Black experience. Places like Howard University offer a small sanctuary for Black people to find their own identity that isn’t just a reaction to how white culture defines them.

The justice system disproportionately impacts Black men. Incarcerated more often and assumed to be criminals without having broken any laws, institutional racism is present in policing, courts, and prisons.

Violence is a constant in Black lives. There is always a threat of unexpected and unwarranted violence. And it does not come with the protection of justice.

But Coates wants his son to join the fight. Rather than give up or accept the woes of mistreatment, he sees the potential for better. But it is a fight that must continue.

About the Author

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a Baltimore native. His mother was a teacher and his father was a librarian and publisher.

An interest in writing and publishing blossomed at an early age. As a child, his mother made him write essays when he behaved badly. His father worked with Black Classic Press and was a former Black Panther.

Despite attending Howard University, Coates never got his degree. Despite being the only member of his family without a college degree, he has received the MacArthur Genius Grant.

Between the World and Me was his second non-fiction book and he won the 2015 National Book Award for it. Coates wrote a novel The Water Dancer and has written for the Marvel Comics series Black Panther and Captain America.

Topics

Biography & Memoir

Between the World and Me Book Summary Preview

Key Insights

You’ve probably heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you come from, you have the opportunity to succeed in America. But that is not always the case.

In a letter to his 15-year-old son, Ta-Nehisi Coates shares his experiences as a Black man in America. Between the World and Me is a memoir and a commentary to help guide his son and other young Black people growing up in America.

From Coates’s experiences, you see that the American Dream is a myth. Specifically, for Black people, the systems are set up for failure. There are race-based differences in poverty, incarceration, and violence. If you are Black, racism can affect every part of your life.

There is a gap between the country that Coates has grown up in and the country that America is on paper. That observation and why he feels that way are what he’s sharing with his son.

Being Black in America means living with the reality that you are never safe.

Coates was born in 1975 in Baltimore, Maryland. Growing up in Baltimore, he experienced dangers and fears that are common if you’re Black in America. There were numerous experiences that demonstrated this, but there was one event that stood out from his childhood.

After school one day when Coates was 11 years old, he was outside a store. Another boy was across the street. He called Coates over. Without saying anything, the boy pulled a gun out and waved it at Coates before putting it back.

He didn’t know the boy and nothing else had transpired to prompt the threatening act. It was this moment that Coates pins as realizing there was always the possibility of unprompted or unexpected violence looming over him.

Even doing things “right” is not enough to protect you from violence.

In college at Howard University, Coates met Prince Jones. By all accounts, Jones and his family were doing things the “right” way to try and improve their lot in life.

His mother was born poor but had worked hard to give Jones a better life. She was willing to spend what it took to provide Jones with more opportunities. Now, he was at college. Jones had a reputation as a kind and religious person. He was also a father and engaged to be married.

Jones was on his way from D.C. to Virginia one night to visit his fiancee. On his way there, a cop from D.C. began following him. The officer crossed state lines out of his jurisdiction. It ended in Jones being killed outside the home of his fiancee.

This tragic killing reminded Coates of the danger he was always in. Without breaking the law, without provoking anyone, he can be killed. Just for being Black.

Even worse than senseless violence? There was no justice. The story is the same as it has been so many times before and since. The cop claimed that Jones tried to hit him with his car. Despite the fact that the officer had a reputation for lying,...