Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates 2015
Read: 2018

Manhattan Beach has spent a lot of time over the last 18 months talking about the importance of inclusion. We have seen events in our community and in our schools that make us realize that we need to make sure that every student and every community member do all they can to respect and include every member of the community. This is a book recommended to me by a person on a committee that works on this topic. It is a letter from an African-American father to his son. It let me walk some miles in people’s shoes that I could not otherwise walk in. I think it’s important to see Mr. Coates’ perspective, his challenges in raising his son in America, showing what he has learned, his fears, and his hopes. It’s a powerful book that is in many ways challenging to read, but it is important. I highly recommend it.