The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
From simply clicking on this book report (and keeping up with my previous ones), one can find that it includes a unique set-up. Previously, I would fully read a book, occasionally take notes, and once completed, I would write my takeaways. However, that template wouldn’t work for authors such as Coates. See, unlike most books I’ve read, this book is written by someone I have some knowledge about. I’ve watched videos about his analysis on presidential legacies, listened to the countless podcasts he appeared on, and overall kept up with what he has going for him. Due to Coates’ abstract thinking and rhetorical writing, simply reading and then reviewing wouldn’t be effective enough. Instead, writing about what stood out to me while reading, connecting this writing to myself, and viewing this reaction almost like a school project.
Let’s begin!
The first section within Coates’ book is titled “Journalism is Not a Luxury”. Since starting The Readership, or even joining my school’s journalism club, I always considered my work as work of a journalist. My writing, reactions, and research had the purpose to find answers to my questions. Although this isn’t entirely false, it doesn’t accurately depict the work of a journalist, at least from Coates’ perspective. See, for Coates, a journalist is one who would go into the darkness of detail to find solutions, be pushed by this “haunt”. No matter how uncomfortable, difficult, or ugly it gets, journalists should always strive to find more. This introduction is important, as it is a reminder of the true intent and goal of journalism. Unfortunately, the stories we hear, the headlines we read, and the opinions we take as true aren’t accurate depictions of reality. What Coates’ interest laid wasn’t simply about the inaccuracies within journalism, but how to get to put these narratives out. And this was the most important takeaway from my reading, not just that the role of writing was to investigate topics deeply and poetically relay these findings to the public, but that those findings are intentionally placed in front of us by those with power. The power those people contain isn’t just for bombs and occupation, but pushing their world order in our minds. With this mission, the mission to accurately rewrite these narratives, Coates began writing, and also began traveling, his first destination, Senegal.
Coming from two African immigrants, my understanding of Africa differed from Coates’s. His ancestors were forced from the motherland; mine came here by choice. Coates grew up with the understanding that Africa would unite Black Americans, and an ancestral homeland was vital to the dignity of Black Americans. His father, a political activist, has long advocated for the reconnection of Black Americans and Africa. This perspective is one that I can’t relate to. My parents are African; when I travel to Africa, I see my relatives, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. African connection is something I always had, and the desire to rekindle this connection never arose because the connection was never broken. For Coates, he grew up believing that this connection was needed, and what better to find out than go find this connection himself? When Coates traveled, he came to the realization of the differences between the Africa he imagined and the Africa he saw. The Africa he imagined was shaped by the desire for an ancestral homeland; the Africa he saw was an Africa with its own political issues/complexities and historical experiences. My takeaway: the narratives we sometimes envision for our own dignity or for a positive purpose can be skewed. Narratives don’t always have to be skewed negatively but can be skewed positively as well. The Africa Coates walked into wasn’t the romantic Africa he envisioned. Specifically, Coates visited Gorée Island; this island is tied to the transatlantic slave trade. By visiting, Coates learned not just how experiences but interpretation influence identity.
Coates next traveled to Columbia, South Carolina. Here, Coates examined a debacle within a local school district. An AP teacher was facing opposition for teaching his book Between the World and Me. This tied in with the control of narrative mentioned earlier. Many, in opposition of the book, argued as they objected to the way it made American history and politics appear. South Carolina has a troubling relationship with racism and slavery. Monuments of Confederate soldiers and other symbols raise more questions about which stories should be heard and how narratives can be pushed, even at a young age.
Next, author Coates traveled to Palestine. This was the longest and most controversial aspect of the book, even though I believe it to not be as controversial. For ten days, Coates traveled throughout Israel and Palestine, experiencing apartheid and genocide. Previously, Coates’s ideals were limited, even defending Israel against certain criticism in his 2014 essay The Case for Reparations. Coates’s understanding was influenced by the narratives, but his journey forced him to reconsider those viewpoints. Coates examined how the historical trauma Jews faced made its contemporary actions difficult to scrutinize politically. But the most powerful aspect of this was Coates’s witness of the Palestinian experience. Witnessing the inhuman treatment of Palestinians, the checkpoints they faced, ethnic cleansing, Coates couldn’t even compare these experiences to anything he had ever witnessed. He became particularly interested in how Palestinians were represented in the Western media. How these representations caused the limitations he once had. This evoked a moral responsibility for Coates. One that is centered on the need for Palestinians to tell their own stories.
For me, this book represents why I started writing. When I first published my work on my school’s newsletter, Bengal Blueprint, I was proud of my work, sending it to my father. And his reply was filled with joy. One of the things that stood out to me was the last two words, “Representation Matters”. And that is what we are witnessing. Amongst all the journalism done about Palestinians, in the book, Coates mentions how only 2% were written by Palestinians. In regards to book bans, South Carolina witnessed a rejection of a book, in part, because it detailed the Black experience. When explaining to my friends recently, the purpose of history, I stated that it is important we learn about history so we can take lessons for a better future. In fact, one of the publications on The Readership is titled, “The “Lessons” in History Lessons?”. But what good would history lessons do if the repressions of voices are causing more tragedies globally? We won’t know problems if we don’t hear of them.
In short, should you read this book? Yes, it is one step in the right direction.
Coates, T. (2024). The Message. One World.