An exceptional father-son story about the reality that tests us, the myths that sustain us, and the love that saves us.
Paul Coates was an enig... read full description
Paul Coates was an enig... read full description
reviews
Apr 19, 2009
Chris
rated it: 
Along with "Dreams from my Father," I want to add this to the Coming of Age / Memoir unit I teach. Ta-Nehisi is a fantastic writing, and the book moves along with a lightness and wit (I finished the book in under 24 hours) that belies the seriousness of his subject.
Stylistically, the book feels as if it were written effortlessly, yet is filled with clever and knowing asides that don't feel forced. That Coates can retain the straight power of street slang while mixing in r More...
Stylistically, the book feels as if it were written effortlessly, yet is filled with clever and knowing asides that don't feel forced. That Coates can retain the straight power of street slang while mixing in r More...
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Apr 11, 2011
Scott
rated it: 
I just started reading this today, but in the first chapter alone, here are a couple gems:
"About that time my Converse turned to cleats and I bolted, leaving dents and divots in the concrete. The streetlights flickered, waved as I broke ankles, blew by, and when the bandits reached to check me, I left only imagination and air."
"They elevated bar fights to a martial art, would rush the ring, all juiced on jeers and applause, white music blaring, Van Halen ha More...
"About that time my Converse turned to cleats and I bolted, leaving dents and divots in the concrete. The streetlights flickered, waved as I broke ankles, blew by, and when the bandits reached to check me, I left only imagination and air."
"They elevated bar fights to a martial art, would rush the ring, all juiced on jeers and applause, white music blaring, Van Halen ha More...
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Aug 01, 2009
I just finished [The Beautiful Struggle] by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which I have mixed feelings about. More than anything, it's about Coates' father, and yet I don't feel like I know him at all for reading about his life. The distance between reader and writer may reflect the distance between the inner lives of father and son - love and respect don't require full disclosure on anyone's part. Still, this is a book crammed with personalities, with lives long and short, and yet few - if any- really flowe
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Mar 01, 2009
Catherine
rated it: 
This is a powerful book, in that Coates' words are poetry, possess a fury, rise up off the page and grab you. And yet in that word-smithing is perhaps the book's weakness - that there is a lyricism to his prose that obscures the struggle he describes.
To be more precise - this book is, more than anything, about Coates' father, and yet I don't feel like I know him at all for reading about his life. The distance between reader and writer may reflect the distance between the inner live More...
To be more precise - this book is, more than anything, about Coates' father, and yet I don't feel like I know him at all for reading about his life. The distance between reader and writer may reflect the distance between the inner live More...
Jun 16, 2011
Elliot
rated it:
“We are the walking lowest rung, and all that stands between us and beast,” Ta-Nehisi Coates claims, “is respect.” Respect? Silly machismo. I’m of two minds about this memoir: can’t decide if it’s poetic profundity or puerile posturing. I enjoy Coates’ insightful pieces in Time, Atlantic and New Yorker. The memoir of his pre-college (Howard) years is at turns hip-hop cartoonish, beautifully evocative and eye-rolling frustrating. A few chpts are stellar. In short, he’s raised by a sharp but bitte
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Mar 14, 2011
Guy
rated it: 
I've been a fan of Ta-Nehisi Coates via his blog at The Atlantic since '08, and fully expected to enjoy this memoir just based on the commonalities I'd already found in his writing. More than a memoir, it's a prose poem; a non-linear, unapologetically free verse ode to his formative years.
Five years my junior, Coates' childhood had many parallels and intersections with my own, and for me, this book is to memoir as Willie Perdomo's Nigger-Reecan Blues was/is to poetry. In the moments More...
Five years my junior, Coates' childhood had many parallels and intersections with my own, and for me, this book is to memoir as Willie Perdomo's Nigger-Reecan Blues was/is to poetry. In the moments More...
Jan 11, 2011
Heather
rated it:
As an avid reader of Ta-Nehisi Coates's blog, I couldn't resist this book when I saw it at the library. The style is different from his prose and blog -- more lyrical, elliptical, musical. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes it makes him hard to follow. As a proper little white girl, I didn't know much of the slang (I needed June Cleaver to speak jive for me). A few things really struck me from the book. First, the degree of ignorance that most white people have about most black people. Se
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Jul 20, 2011
Matt
rated it:
Though it's a short, quick read, Coates' memoir of his journey from youth to the Mecca of Howard is by no means shallow. Filled with prose that meshes hip-hop vernacular with fantasy imagery (rival crews imagined as orcs) and 80s pop culture references, Coates paints a vivid image of his childhood and the challenges his family faced in living their lives according to their values and surviving in the face of terrific head winds.
Coates has a gift for imbuing meaning in allusions to pop More...
Coates has a gift for imbuing meaning in allusions to pop More...
Aug 04, 2011
William
rated it:
I read Ta-Nehisi Coates at The Atlantic's website every day, and I'm always very disappointed when he doesn't update "often enough" to suit my tastes. He's both a phenomenal writer and an incisive commentator. So this book is everything I expected and more.
And since I'm extremely self-absorbed, what struck me about the book was that despite wildly different backgrounds, we grew up--as nerds--liking many of the same things, much to our the detriment of our social lives. I los More...
And since I'm extremely self-absorbed, what struck me about the book was that despite wildly different backgrounds, we grew up--as nerds--liking many of the same things, much to our the detriment of our social lives. I los More...
Dec 16, 2008
Laura
rated it:
This book made me yearn for Baltimore, as Ta-Nehisi Coates eloquently recounts the struggle of black boys to emerge from their childhoods in the '80s and '90s there.
Coates was one of the rare ones in West Baltimore with a father watching over him, a domineering former Black Panther who pushes his children toward the academic success he himself never achieved.
Some memorable quotes I'll come back to:
p. 40: "public radio was our soundtrack"
p More...
Coates was one of the rare ones in West Baltimore with a father watching over him, a domineering former Black Panther who pushes his children toward the academic success he himself never achieved.
Some memorable quotes I'll come back to:
p. 40: "public radio was our soundtrack"
p More...
Jan 02, 2010
Sara
rated it:
It was great to read a memoir from the generation that was born from actors in the freedom struggles of the 60's and 70's. I think the in between stories, as opposed to the in the heat of the struggle at its height stories, are so important in finding hope and a path forward. Coates tells his story of coming up with consciousness during the violence of the 80's and coming to terms with his family's legacy. His father was a panther, ran an afro-centric press, and struggled to find ways to bring t
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Nov 15, 2009
Wizzard
rated it:
This book is a gem of cultural expression for the born in the seventies- came up in the eighties generation. It is a story of relationships between father and son. The book picks up speed towards the middle once the author stops describing how tough everything is all around him and really describes himself, his family, and the changes he makes internally and externally as he grows up. The book is chock full of slang. At times, I was like really? That much slang? But he uses metaphor and sla
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Oct 03, 2010
Tamlynem
rated it:
I liked the slang that I didn't quite always get, but didn't have to get to still enjoy the book. It was like listening to a song and not hearing all the words but still loving the music or rhythm.
I didn't like the emphasis on the father over the mother in the book. The author had much to learn from both of his parents and both of his parents' lives are detailed in the book. I feel like the emphasis on the father was just sort of put in there as a "hook."
It's really More...
I didn't like the emphasis on the father over the mother in the book. The author had much to learn from both of his parents and both of his parents' lives are detailed in the book. I feel like the emphasis on the father was just sort of put in there as a "hook."
It's really More...
Jan 02, 2010
Dwhren
rated it:
I read a good review of this book in Baltimore's City Paper awhile ago, which is why I decided to read it. Plus I'm always interested in reading books that take place in Baltimore. Luckily it was a nice short book because it wasn't that good. The story is about the childhood of the author growing up with a father who was a fairly militant Black Panther. His father has a number of children by 4 different women. The author being the next to youngest. The other son referred to in the title of
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Nov 10, 2011
Zach
rated it:
generally not too hot on memoirs, but this one kept my attention. coates's odd upbringing (as a son of a hardassed, polyamorous Black Panther) makes for an interesting trajectory, and his descriptions of inner-city baltimore are vivid. the hip-hop portions capture perfectly that sense of youthful excitement/discovery. you know, when you're 13 and you're getting hip friends and you're listening to shit that just blows your goddamn brains open. when he shoots for it, coates' style is dynamic and e
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Feb 01, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
I had noticed Coates' piece in The Atlantic on Michelle Obama and saved it to read later. Then I heard him speak on Fresh Air on MLK jr day. He was cropping up too much and my response to him was too strong not to look up his memoir and get it from the library.
I wasn't disappointed. The book challenged me because his childhood was so radically different from my own. He doesn't want you to easily grasp his world and this is what makes him a brilliant writer. I couldn't put the book d More...
I wasn't disappointed. The book challenged me because his childhood was so radically different from my own. He doesn't want you to easily grasp his world and this is what makes him a brilliant writer. I couldn't put the book d More...
May 24, 2010
Go2therock
rated it:
Well, I really do not care to listen to hip-hop still. I was confused as to what "giving dap" was, so I had to google it and laugh. I fail miserably at that kind of thing with my kids when they try to do it with me.
But this book has left me thinking. It took me into a very unfamiliar territory, and not one I was completely comfortable with all the time. But Ta-Nehisi was able to articulate some really beautifully reflective observations about his people.
I l More...
But this book has left me thinking. It took me into a very unfamiliar territory, and not one I was completely comfortable with all the time. But Ta-Nehisi was able to articulate some really beautifully reflective observations about his people.
I l More...
Jul 01, 2009
Lauren
rated it:
I ordinarily see memoirs by the very young as unnecessary, but this account of the author's very interesting, unconventional upbringing is an exception. The book is primarily his attempt to understand his father, a stern former Black Panther turned publisher, and is a v. personal look at the perils and difficulties of raising boys in Baltimore during the crack age.
This is a first novel, and there are definitely clumsy points in the narration. Coates' blog for the Atlantic is a much bet More...
This is a first novel, and there are definitely clumsy points in the narration. Coates' blog for the Atlantic is a much bet More...
Apr 06, 2009
Catherine
rated it:
I was trying to figure out why I wasn't engaging with this book. After all, I love Ta-Nehisi Coates. I think he's a fantastic writer and read his blog regularly. He's got this way of reflecting that's very self-conscious yet humble and insightful at the same time. His perspective on a range of issues (politics, hip-hop, sci fi) are often unexpected and refreshing. I just really think his voice is a great addition to the chattersphere.
So I was perplexed that I wasn't feeling The More...
So I was perplexed that I wasn't feeling The More...
Nov 30, 2008
Elisa
rated it:
While I really appreciated Coates' writing style and use of language, which was simultaneously poetic and authentic, I felt a little beat over the head with the feeling that I was supposed to admire and honor the author's father in a way I didn't feel inclined to do.
Coates obviously turned out well, but I'm not sure he owes it all to a father, who was philandering and physically abusive , just because he was *there*.
Some folks rise above despite their hard upbringings, not be More...
Coates obviously turned out well, but I'm not sure he owes it all to a father, who was philandering and physically abusive , just because he was *there*.
Some folks rise above despite their hard upbringings, not be More...
Apr 30, 2011
Gladia
rated it:
How not to love Ta-Nehisi Coates? Of course I got to know him through his blog on The Atlantic and that’s kind of hard to stop reading it after you start. Not too dissimilar from a drug. It is really no secret that Coates most attractive characteristic—at least for me—is being this soft, sweet underdog who, despite it all, made it. Take this conversation between father and son:
'I am not raising nothing niggers. Where is your head? What are you thinking, boy?
I am thinking of S More...
'I am not raising nothing niggers. Where is your head? What are you thinking, boy?
I am thinking of S More...
Apr 03, 2010
Jim
rated it:
Before reading this, I knew of TNC as a blogger and editor from The Atlantic. I had no idea what his upbringing was like, which is what this is all about.
Ta-Nehisi was clearly a nerd with nerd-like tendencies as a kid. He loved spacing out, fantasy novels, and D&D. Two things set him apart from most nerds:
1. He grew up in Baltimore in the eighties during the crack epidemic.
2. His father was a former Black Panther. When he had Ta-Nehisi, he was no longer a Black Pant More...
Ta-Nehisi was clearly a nerd with nerd-like tendencies as a kid. He loved spacing out, fantasy novels, and D&D. Two things set him apart from most nerds:
1. He grew up in Baltimore in the eighties during the crack epidemic.
2. His father was a former Black Panther. When he had Ta-Nehisi, he was no longer a Black Pant More...
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Jul 25, 2009
Mark
rated it:
As a memoir about black fatherhood and manhood and growing up trapped in a uniquely American class divide, 'The Beautiful Struggle' will either lose you right off the bat or compel you to the end. The key is Coates's prose, which is an odd combination of the neo-biblical incantatory style of James Agee and the clipped, slangy plot-spinning of Iceberg Slim. I loved it, and Coates really did seem to be trying for something different from his regular blog work. I probably should give the book five
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Aug 14, 2011
Korri
rated it:
I read on an epic six hour bus ride that should've taken three. It was almost a shame that this memoir was in my bag because it is such a fast and fabulous read. I want to look back over it & savor how Coates made his dreamy, head-in-the-clouds prose chock full of pop culture allusions seem effortless.
Masculinity is at the heart of tale. But what it means to be a man is an ever-shifting chimera that young Coates has trouble identifying, let alone grasping. He doesn't want to fight o More...
Masculinity is at the heart of tale. But what it means to be a man is an ever-shifting chimera that young Coates has trouble identifying, let alone grasping. He doesn't want to fight o More...
Oct 20, 2009
Seth
rated it:
Fantastic memoir. So much fun to read. Coates is a stylist, and pays close attention to his sentences. The layers of details will sometimes get past you (if you're not familiar with 80s rap or fashions, for example), but you can't miss the heartbreak, the yearning of a young man. Most impressive is how he tells his own, very specific story against the broader story of black West Baltimore in the 1980s. Thrilling writing.
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Oct 11, 2011
Taer
rated it:
The Beautiful Struggle.
This Book as well as soon other aspects of my life changed my view on a brighter future.
I recommend this book to every, EVERY inner city kid in Dc, and Baltimore.
The Message isn't clear but if you find your connection with him in the book, it makes the book way more easier to relate to and understand. Can not wait until Ta-Nehisi Comes To The seed School Dc, comment By: Tj Alexander
This Book as well as soon other aspects of my life changed my view on a brighter future.
I recommend this book to every, EVERY inner city kid in Dc, and Baltimore.
The Message isn't clear but if you find your connection with him in the book, it makes the book way more easier to relate to and understand. Can not wait until Ta-Nehisi Comes To The seed School Dc, comment By: Tj Alexander
Aug 27, 2009
Robyn
rated it:
I can honestly say that I have no idea what this guy was talking about throughout a good 1/3 of the book. He referenced so many people, so many events, used so many words from 80's adolescent African-American inner-city pop culture - I was barely hanging on. But it certainly did keep my attention, because I just really want to understand - at least as much as I can. Interesting views on what the 80's crack epidemic meant to African-Americans. Also learned quite a bit about the history and th
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Jun 28, 2011
Thorn
rated it:
Look, ma, another Baltimore-during-the-drug-war book! Except this one is different because it's Ta-Nehisi Coates and because it's so poetic and because it manages to skirt most of the drug stuff going on both by timing and because that's the point of the book, that Coates's father succeeded in keeping his son safe and helping him learn to be his nerdy-yet-Conscious self.
Oct 27, 2010
Jay
rated it:
This was a pretty good read. I liked the way he combined the vocabulary of the street with intellectual to tell the story of his childhood and teenage years. His father is at times hero & villian of the story. Ta-Nehisi manages to make his unconventional life and childhood seem normal and as far fetched as it seems I found common threads in his teenage years that mirror mine.
Feb 24, 2009
I heard about this book from Fresh Air on NPR. Terry Gross interviewed with Coates about his experiences growing up as the son of Black Panther/Howard University Professor Paul Coates.
You can hear the complete interview at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...
You can hear the complete interview at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...
