Posted on behalf of students in ENGL 350: 21st Century African-American Literature

Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Click for catalog link.

Location: Main Stacks
Call Number: 305.800973 C632b

Location: Allen Hall
Call Number: 305.8 C623be

Location: Ikenberry
Call Number: 305.8 C623be

Location: Uni High
Call Number: 305.800973 C632b

Between the World and Me is a 2015 novel by Ta-Nehisi Coates. The novel is written in two parts; first as a letter from a father to his son, then later as a letter from the same man to his nephew. The novel is semi-autobiographical and recounts the narrator’s experiences growing up Black in inner-city Baltimore. Coates reflects on many issues within the book, including the school system, the police, and street life. Coates uses the metaphor of “the Dream” within the novel to highlight inequalities. While the American dream has traditionally represented the idea that anybody from any background can achieve their goals, Coates’ subverts these ideas though showing how only white people can achieve “the Dream,” emphasizing how they are able to continue to benefit from slavery, racism, and oppression within the United States.

Similarly, Coates introduces the idea that black people’s bodies “don’t belong to them,” drawing attention to the extreme negative effects that the unfair and racist system within America has.

Between the World and Me is a novel about race. Coates disputes that America was built on the backs of slaves and that being Black in America will make him a constant target. He describes how vulnerable black bodies are to police brutality, street fighting, and drug abuse. Coates wants his son to understand what it means to be a Black man in today’s times. Coates talks about “the Dream” is referring to the “American Dream.” He describes it as “perfect houses with nice lawns” and a general sense of accomplishment and well-being that African-Americans rarely achieve because of the lack of privilege. Another important idea and theme in Between the World and Me is Fatherhood. Coates feels responsible for his son’s education as a Black man in America. He wants him to become an intelligent Black man who is able to comprehend what it means to be Black in America. This letter is an attempt to disseminate some of the knowledge Coates has collected over the years to his son.

Between the World and Me is a work that should be read because it gives a voice to the Black male experience without these experiences being told by someone who isn’t a Black man. Most works, especially American literature, that describe experiences within urban communities are often filled with stereotypes and stigmas of Black people. This is, most times, to the detriment of Black men. Yet, the actual voice of the Black men is absent. If a Black man is present, he is often given a voice where he speaks as the antagonist or is silenced by his environment. This silence is as a result of occurrences that led to his demise: police brutality, death, drugs, violence, imprisonment, all of which are many among other catalysts.

However, by Coates taking back his voice he not only breaks the cycles and stigmas placed on him by his society, but his voice is part of an effort to break the chains of the standard Black man experience. By Coates writing this novel to his son, it is his way of showing his son that he too can defy the image of the Black man that imbeds negativity generationally.

We were very moved and inspired by Between the World and Me as we read the painful words and personal experiences Coates underwent, explaining the ways he has studied and lived through them. The aspect that stood out to us the most was the notion of “The Dream.” Coates speaks of this notion as a mass delusion in America, only attainable for white people. We found it very saddening that everyone tries to reach this “dream” but African-Americans strive for something they cannot realistically attain. Referencing his son throughout the text made Coates’ writing very impactful, as his purpose for his writing is to warn his son of issues such as police brutality, institutional racism, and the need for an education to survive, ultimately preparing him for a life in an environment that treats African Americans as inferior.

Ta-Nehisi Coates. Click for author website.

Posted on behalf of students in ENGL 350: 21st Century African-American Literature

The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas. Click for catalog link.

Location: Center for Childrens Books (non-circulating)
Call Number: S. T3614ha

Location: Allen Hall
Call Number: 813 T3614ha

Location: Florida Ave Residence Hall
Call Number: 813 T3614ha

Location: Ikenberry
Call Number: 813 T3614ha

Location: Illinois Street Residence Hall
Call Number: 813 T3614ha

Location: Uni High Fiction
Call Number: Fiction T3614ha

The Hate U Give is a novel written by Angie Thomas. She focuses on the life of a black 16 year old teenager, Starr Carter. Starr lives in Garden Heights but goes to Williamson Prep, a private school with predominantly white students. This causes conflict in Starr’s life because she often has to switch back-and-forth between personalities. She doesn’t want to be ghetto compared to her school friends and she doesn’t want to seem too white when around the neighborhood kids. Thomas also focuses on racism, brutality from the police, and using your voice to make a change. Two of Starr’s childhood friends were killed. Natasha was killed in a crossfire. Khalil was killed in front of Starr by the police. This causes things to be shaken up in Starr’s life. She wants justice for Khalil.

Her friends at Williamson don’t understand her primarily because she comes from a different background. So, when they ask Starr about Khalil she denies knowing him. Although, that was her best friend for as long as she can remember. Khalil wasn’t a saint but he did what he needed to do to provide for his family. He was killed by an officer because his brush was mistaken for a gun. With nobody to talk to, this fills Starr with grief, fear, confusion and anger. As a witness to Khalil’s death she begins to actively protest for him when the officer does not take blame for wrongfully killing Khalil and is not indicted. These are real problems for Starr. However, her school friends use this as an excuse to ditch school. Some even believe the officer did the right thing because he killed a drug dealer. This leads Starr to act distant, including from her white boyfriend, Chris.

Things aren’t so great in the Garden Heights. Starr’s father, Mav, is a former member of a gang. He tries his best to steer his kids away from having a life like that. On the other hand there is King. King is the person “feeds” the neighborhood streets. The neighborhood eventually turns on King when they realize he does more damage than good. Mav also learns to accept his kids for who they are and trust that he has raised them to do the right things. This includes him finally accepting that Starr has a white boyfriend. Starr leaves readers with the thought that she will not remain silent and she will continue to be an activist and fight the injustices around her.

The idea of this text is to bring light to the issues that exist with racism and stereotypes in the modern day. Thomas’s main point was to show how racism can manifest in your own neighborhood. It can be shown through violence and/or police brutality. She shows how the main character, Starr, handles a situation when she is faced with discrimination from her peers, authorities such as police officers, and judges. This helps Starr find her identity in her blackness. Thomas’s purpose was to help other teens gain political awareness and to develop the courage to use their voices to stand up for justice.

People should read this book to gain an inside look into the effects of police violence and brutality on the lives of African Americans within the United States. In addition, this book would be useful for people who want to gain more knowledge on the African American community who live in current day society of the United States; Additionally, this novel can help an individual understand how the media portrays police brutality when it involves white-on-black violence, as well as the unfairness and racial biases that still exist within the criminal justice system.

Reading the book was an astounding and an eye opening experience for me. The author took current news and tragedies and made it into such a beautiful masterpiece. I really love the fact that the author emphasized Starr’s feelings and how the death of her friend affected her. I Also love how Starr’s parents were very supportive after she witnessed her friend get murdered by the police for simply holding a hairbrush. Altogether, this was a very emotional novel. Beautifully written and put together.

Angie Thomas. Click for author webpage.

Posted on behalf of students in ENGL 350: 21st Century African-American Literature

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead. Click for catalog link.

Location: Undergrad
Call Number: PS3573.H4768 U53 2016

Location: Uni High Fiction
Call Number: Fiction W587u

Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad tells the story of Cora, a teenage girl escaping slavery via a reimagined, literal, underground railroad. The ensemble of her helpers and hunters changes as she moves from state to state, and Whitehead gets in the minds of everyone who leaves an impact on her. Cora grows up throughout the novel, contemplating her past, present, and future to uncover truths about the possibilities of Blackness in America.

The novel plays with time, place, and point of view to make its audience think about trauma and privilege in American history. Whitehead is bold and honest, reminding readers of the physical, emotional, and economic violence America allows and encourages Black women to endure within its borders.

The finished-the-book feeling that lingers after the last page of The Underground Railroad is painful, and for that reason, it’s an important read. Whitehead’s choices in terms of timing and fantasy within a piece of historical fiction are impressive. His use of philosophy and point of view is impactful. Apart from being something to learn from, The Underground Railroad is a book that begs to be talked about.

In between chapters, I found myself ranting to my roommates about how I felt for the characters. Whitehead gave me words to better understand and explain my own experiences as a Black girl in America. If you choose to read this book (and you should definitely read this book), just understand that Whitehead won’t try to make you happy, but he’ll make you think about your life, your freedom, and your future.

Colson Whitehead. Click for author webpage.

Posted on behalf of students in ENGL 350: 21st Century African-American Literature

Heavy, by Kiese Laymon. Click for catalog link.

Location: Residence Halls Illinois Street Circulating Collection
Call Number: 305.8 L454he

Location: Uni High
Call Number: 305.896 L454he

Heavy, a memoir by Kiese Laymon, is about the life of a young man and the challenges he faces as he develops into an adult. The novel follows Laymon through his family’s struggle through poverty, and his personal struggle with education, addiction, relationships, and being a black man in modern society. The emotional novel begins with Laymon’s comprehension of sexuality he experiences at a friend’s house, and ends with Laymon trying to battle his own gambling addiction and negative body image. Overall, the memoir shows the reader how and why Kiese Laymon became the man that he is.

The main purpose of Heavy is to show how a person’s experiences in life create their future and lifestyle. The novel helps the reader look at people with a more open mind. Laymon went from a chubby quiet kid, to an activist, to a gym rat, to an overweight man with body issues and a gambling addiction. At all of these times, he describes how his mother may have fostered mental health issues within him because of her own issues. He also describes the many dilemmas he faced that affected him, causing him to become a certain way. While he points out his own flaws and gives the reader insight to his mental health issues, he also makes the readers question themselves on their own judgement of people and their own selves.

This novel should be read by everyone for the simple fact that it better helps people empathize with people who struggle with body issues and mental health issues. I think it also gives people an insight into a life they may not be able to personally experience or identify with. While this novel is about a black man in a socio-economic dilemma who is going through body dysmorphia and witnessing sexual assault, a person outside the novel may identify with some of the issues Laymon has decided to open up about. This book is useful because it can be seen as both an instruction on how to think about people with mental health issues, as well as a guide on how to reflect on your own body and mind.

Personally, I loved this novel. The novel made me tear up several times, and helped me reflect on my own personal issues and body images. I learned a lot about gambling issues and the emotions mixed in with being African American during a time of civil unrest. I will never experience some of the things that he describes, but I can better sympathize and empathize with people who have. The gambling addiction side of the story particularly affected me as my father was a gambling addict. The ending really strikes home how the addiction affects people and how much of a disease addiction can be. Overall, I felt this was one of the best novels I have read in my life.

Kiese Laymon. Click image for Author’s Website.