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Between the World and Me cover art

Between the World and Me

Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Publisher's Summary

Number-one New York Times best seller
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 

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 Most Influential Books of the Decade by CNN

Named one of Paste’s Best Memoirs of the Decade

Named one of the Ten Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book ReviewO: The Oprah MagazineThe Washington PostPeople • Entertainment Weekly • Vogue • Los Angeles TimesSan Francisco ChronicleChicago TribuneNew YorkNewsday • Library JournalPublishers 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’ attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son - and listeners - 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. 

©2015 Ta-Nehisi Coates (P)2015 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"Ta-Nehisi Coates's delivery of his own book is so memorable because the material is charged with emotion and a tone of self-disclosure. There's also a highly personal sense of connection between himself and his audience because of his frequent use of 'you.'" (AudioFile)

"The language of Between the World and Me, like Coates's journey, is visceral, eloquent, and beautifully redemptive.... This is required reading." (Toni Morrison) 

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.

What listeners say about Between the World and Me

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  • 2017-11-08

what a book that was

a gripping account from beginning to end of a life and struggle of being black. no one should have to endure injustice like this sadly so very many people do. I'm not black myself amd cant comprehend how it is to live life that way but I could connect on a few issues raised later in the book. this book is poetic and honest and so well written. I'm sad it wasn't longer. this book was recommend to me by a friend who was studying it in school and I absolutely recommend it to everyone else

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So far away yet so close. A beautiful book.

In this yellow body I wondered my role in this moment on Earth. Empathy seems hollow ,and I do not know how to be closer and do more. This book and his own reading breaks my heart and raise me up again and again. The experiences seem so foreign yet so deeply close. A beautiful book that I recommend for everyone.

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2 people found this helpful

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Heart wrenchingly beautiful prose

Every human should have to listen to Ta-Nehisi Coates read this story and hear this history

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1 person found this helpful

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Speechless!

This is a work of inspiring art! I hope that everyone truly gets the gravity of what's being read. Not filter it through our biases (if possible) and get the truth in this. Every culture needs to hear what's happening outside their walls.

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Beautifully written

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.

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Heartwrenchingly beautiful!

Gorgeous writing. Thank you for this gift. I'm grateful that this story exists! Accessible and challenging at the same time.

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What an amazing writer.

I love that he narrated his story.
So honest and poetic. I couldn't stop listening. Highly recommend

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beautiful and necessary reading

this should be required reading for everyone. this is absolutely beautiful, honest, confronting, and important.

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An essential understanding

Beautifully written and read. The way he weaves experience through his life and his legacy, his child, is so impactful. I wish that the yt Americans, the bigoted Americans, could really listen and hear and feel these words.

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excellent

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.

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