Summary of Between the World and Me

Between the World and Me is a book-length letter written by Ta-Nehisi Coates to his teenage son. In it, Coates reflects on his experiences as a black man in America and the struggles of the African-American community in a society that is still rife with racism. He argues that the country’s history of white supremacy has inflicted a deep and lasting injury on African-Americans and that this legacy continues to this day. Coates frames his message in the context of his own life and the lives of those around him, offering his son an unflinching look at what it means to be black in America. He also expresses his own hope for a better future, one in which the African-American community is liberated from the fear and oppression that have marked its history.