LIMITED TIME OFFER | Get 3 months for $0.99 a month

$14.95/mo thereafter - terms apply.
Between the World and Me cover art

Between the World and Me

Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends January 29, 2026 11:59pm PT.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Between the World and Me

Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends January 29, 2026 11:59pm PT.

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $20.40

Buy Now for $20.40

About this listen

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF TIME’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF OPRAH’S “BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH” • NOW AN HBO ORIGINAL SPECIAL EVENT

Hailed by Toni Morrison as “required reading,” a bold and personal literary exploration of America’s racial history by “the most important essayist in a generation and a writer who changed the national political conversation about race” (Rolling Stone)

NAMED ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY • NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN • NAMED ONE OF PASTES BEST MEMOIRS OF THE DECADE • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY • AN OPRAH DAILY BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE PAST TWO DECADES

ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, O: The Oprah Magazine, The Washington Post, People, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, New York, Newsday, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly


In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.
Americas Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Discrimination Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Inspiring Nonfiction Social justice Africa Biography Social Justice

Editorial Review

With poetic language and an unpausable pace, Ta-Nehisi Coates shares his heartbreaking experience of growing up as a Black male in the United States in a deeply personal letter to his son–and for the world.

Between the World and Me is an honest, beautifully written letter from one Black man to his son. It dives into history from slavery to segregation, and doesn’t shy away from the modern-day shame of America’s systemic racism. Coates paints a picture with words, creating a compelling portrait of race that invites anyone, of any background or culture, to understand and connect with this heartbreaking yet profoundly impactful narrative.

This audiobook offers a story of humanity and dignity in all its ugliness and beauty, and one that Coates shares through his own voice as the narrator. Listen to his pauses that speak volumes, his powerful tone that resonates, and his authentically human voice that illustrates the pain that only one who has lived through it all could know.

A National Book Award winner, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a number-one New York Times best seller, and featured on countless ‘best books of the year’ lists, Between the World and Me is an important must-listen for everyone.

All stars
Most Relevant
a short, easy, powerful listen. everyone could benefit from reading or listening to 'Between the World and Me'. over the last several years, I have been learning and unlearning a lot. but hearing the author's story through a personal letter to his son was compelling.

excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I believe every parent and their child should read this book. No matter the race. Humanity and dignity is spoken through each story. I can relate to so much of this book. It was a beautiful, heartmoving read/ listen.

Beautifully written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is one of the most profound and painfully beautiful book I have ever read.

Breathtaking!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A Truly Excellent explanation of the Black experience. Reading about a truth I’ll never fully understand. Thank you Mr Coates.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I don’t usually write book reviews but I think I owe it to the world to write this review. I had never witnessed this kind of writing until I found Tana-Heisi Coates. His writing is poetic, free, unbound by literary dogmas and a true reflection of how his mind works. I wish I could find more books written like this on every topic. If you want to really understand the struggle of humanity, not just of African Americans, you need to read this book. I have just finished it for the second time and I am sure I will coming back to it again in the future.

The kind of book you don’t want to finish. Poetic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews