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Lin asked this question about Between the World and Me:
I'm looking for great non-fiction for 16-18 year old readers in advanced classes--especially titles that have their literary fingers on the public pulse, so to speak. Should I consider this text for my students?
Phil Morton Yes, consider it for your students. Racism is here. It covers all of us, Black, and all the rest of us. For Black people I think it is a primer on how…moreYes, consider it for your students. Racism is here. It covers all of us, Black, and all the rest of us. For Black people I think it is a primer on how to survive, but I don't know enough to know if that's true. For the rest of us, it's a window into a world that's hard to imagine. These days there is not much in the book that's new, but the telling is compelling. It's the quality of the writing that affects me. Coates sure knows how to use words.

The bigger discussion that I miss is what justice is. Too much of our idea of justice is retributive, payback, revenge by society etc. I don't find that helpful. Some justice is intended to deter people for acting badly. Very little is aimed at moving anyone forward. Locking anyone up and throwing away 'the key perpetuates the fear that Coats articulates. 'Justice' is intended to break the spirit of the perpetrator. It's no surprise that no one wants to face any wrong-doing. As long as we divide people into good and bad we lose sight of a bigger way to look at ourselves and everyone else.

Writing as a White male I want to find a way that transcends that limited narrative. What if we can take a perspective that everyone is good, that there's no such thing as original sin.

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Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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