Ta-Nehisi Coates: Atheist

[Act_of_Reparation]

The following is an except from Chapter 1 of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is structured as a letter to his 15-year-old son.

This must seem strange to you. We live in a “goal-oriented” era. Our media vocabulary is full of hot takes, big ideas, and grand theories of everything. But some time ago I rejected magic in all its forms. This rejection was a gift from your grandparents, who never tried to console me with ideas of an afterlife and were skeptical of preordained American glory. In accepting both the chaos of history and the fact of my total end, I was freed to truly consider how I wished to live— specifically, how do I live free in this black body?

Coates, Ta-Nehisi (2015-07-14). Between the World and Me (p. 13). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[RussBLib]

1. I tried checking this book out at the library

There are 32 holds in front of me. It's great to see people wanting to read it. I'm patient.

[Act_of_Reparation]

2. I shelled out the cash for the Kindle edition.

But if you don't mind waiting, I'll just say this: it'll be well worth the wait.