Between the World and Me

A New York Times Best Seller, National Book Award Winner, NAACP Image Award Winner, and a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, Between the World and Me offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. 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.

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jul 14, 2015

176 pages

Average rating: 8.41

456 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Between the World and Me* is a powerful, poetic memoir sharing Coates’s experience as a Black man in America. Reviewers agree the writing...

Stizstar
Nov 24, 2025
10/10 stars
This books is important, timely and so very powerful. A moving, must-read.
Groundhogcat
Oct 24, 2025
10/10 stars
This book is about the author's experience as a black man in The United States of America. Dear reader, who not a person of color, I recommend this book. The author delivers a powerful message of what is like to live as a black man in the USA. It is not pleasant.
Madeline M Murdock
Dec 01, 2025
6/10 stars
This was for one of my college classes. It wasn't my favorite book, but it was interesting to know how African Americans have suffered over the years and how they still have encouragement and hope.
hershyv
Jun 19, 2025
10/10 stars
Between the World and Me provokes a powerful array of emotions. It is impossible to read this book without feeling deeply moved. It encapsulates both a personal and collective experience of being Black in America. I found myself constantly reflecting, writing, and engaging in intense internal dialogues for hours. Ta-Nehisi Coates warns us about the dangers of conforming to, as well as rejecting, the standards of straight white society. His letter to his son is not about providing solutions. It is about igniting a crucial conversation. As readers, we must take on the responsibility of empathizing with its message, understanding its significance, and encouraging ongoing dialogue until solutions become inevitably clear. This is why it is essential for as many people as possible to read this book and actively carry its message forward.
Kristi Gio
Apr 10, 2025
I do not agree with him on every thing but I appreciate his honesty and willingness to share his experiences. We truly can never know what others go through in life and to me it is important to listen to understand.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.