Book Review: We Were Eight Years In Power
Friends Vice President Lauren Peter wrote a review of Ta-Nehisi Coates latest book.
We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy By Ta-Nehisi Coates
I came across this book as a fan of the author’s voice from “Between the World and Me” and was not disappointed even though the format was completely different. This is a collection of essays and articles Coates published over the course of the Obama administration. Each is presented in the context of the year they were written, in the context of the political and racial climate at the time. There is an introduction to each essay by the author giving insight into where he was as a human and a writer at the
time of publication. He also uses hindsight to critique what he wishes he would have said, or done with the publication. Taking a trip down memory lane to when I was so hopeful about our political system, with the lens of current events is sometimes depressing, but always enlightening. I listened to the book (narrator Beresford Bennett) as a digital download from the library, and truly enjoyed the production. The performance is done in such a way to subtly alter the voice between different speakers so the listener always knows when the narrative changes. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who would like to learn more about our country’s past and wishes to delve deeply into the history that has shaped our racial climate. The author does not claim to have the answer to fixing racial injustices, but I certainly came away feeling better equipped to understand the problems that brought us to this time
Comments are closed.