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What Members Thought
No.
I don't know what it's like.
I never have known what it's like.
I never WILL know what it's like.
I can drape myself in empathy and sympathy but that is as far as I should ever expect to go. I can preach, and amplify, and support...but I cannot know.
Because I cannot know, I need to listen. I need to ask questions in the quest for understanding, and from a place of humility. I need to listen to the answers...not wait for my turn to talk.
I live in a place that is "a little better", but even here t ...more
I don't know what it's like.
I never have known what it's like.
I never WILL know what it's like.
I can drape myself in empathy and sympathy but that is as far as I should ever expect to go. I can preach, and amplify, and support...but I cannot know.
Because I cannot know, I need to listen. I need to ask questions in the quest for understanding, and from a place of humility. I need to listen to the answers...not wait for my turn to talk.
I live in a place that is "a little better", but even here t ...more
I don't really have words. Except to say I will be re-reading it. And to strongly encourage everyone to read it. Just. Everyone.
...more
This book is about the experience of race. But it is also the story of a man's family - the parents that feared for him, the friends who showed him other lives, the friends who died, the son he is raising. It is written beautifully, lyrically, and with a style that reinforces the messages. I listened to the audiobook - read by the author - and loved that aspect as well. I felt the accent and language reinforced this book for me. I enjoyed his tales of the essays his mother would make him write f
...more
I had difficulty putting this down, but also had to because it was too overwhelming to continue at some points. It's a very personal, compelling look at the US, but reading it also constantly feels like you're being punched in the stomach (and I imagine it's like this for readers of various backgrounds, but for different reasons). Required reading, especially for USAmericans.
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I just read this book for the second time, and took even more away from it, particularly in light of the election of Donald Trump. Many quotes stood out to me, but this one made me actually say "wow" out loud because of how it resonated. "I am convinced that the Dreamers... would rather live white than free."
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The author crafts this book as a letter of sorts to his son. He's trying to impart his wisdom and lived experience through this book. Some touches on his experiences as a young person that shaped him and others are his observations about how his son is different and similar to him. A great deal explains what has made this father the man he is the contemporary world.
The section that appealed most to me was the author's account of French class, which he perceived as a waste of time in school. Als ...more
The section that appealed most to me was the author's account of French class, which he perceived as a waste of time in school. Als ...more
Dec 08, 2015
Nadine
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
memoir
Not an easy read, in any sense of the word, but well worth the effort. Searing, angry, heart-breaking, rage-inducing. And Coates's command of the English language is masterful--the way he puts his sentences together is beautiful. It's quite a hopeless and saddening read, in the end, but every American should read it to better understand this perspective.
...more
Mar 14, 2016
Journeywoman
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
listened-to-books
Brilliant, brilliant.
There are no words.
There are no words.
Just read it already.
Dec 04, 2015
Nicole
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biographical,
african-american
Feb 16, 2017
Brooke Williams
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sal-authors
