In The first essay, he goes to Africa for the first time and finds himself consistently drawn not just into the myths told to sanction slavery but also the myths that Black Americans told themselves about their Afrocentric utopia. Next, Coates addresses methods of teaching, the need to teach students to be active, not passive. As I’ve always said, we need to teach students how to think, not just memorize. But, of course, Coates points out that’s exactly what White Supremacists don’t want, especially the Orange One who wrote Executive Order 13950. Because god forbid, white folks feel “discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race”. And while that Order was rescinded, way too many states have used it as a model.
And finally, Coates travels to Palestine, where he compares the Palestinian situation to the second class status of Blacks in America. He writes of the myth Americans are fed vs. the reality he sees. In light of the current war, I found this the most timely and thought provoking.
This is what I love about Coates. He makes me think, he makes me question things I thought I understood. Unlike the South Carolina politicians, I want to be made to feel uncomfortable. I want to be thinking about what I’ve read days later. Coates has accomplished that.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.
