Book Review: The Beautiful Struggle

Great memoir on Coates’ upbringing, mostly featuring anecdotes of his prepubescent years. This book feels like it sets up his other writing rather than existing as a standalone. Themes include social aspects of being a young black man in America: survival and fulfillment. More specifically, Coates speaks to his experience in Baltimore during the “Crack Age.” His reflections look at father-son dynamics, making this the perfect prequel to Between the World and Me. While Coates’ tone is colloquial, the content is not necessarily easy to read. Every chapter, Coates drops references from niche interests and historical moments relevant to his coming of age. You might find yourself pausing to look up terms—not altogether a bad practice!

Rating: 7/10

What this rating means: Coates carries an important story, one that I have not come across in other memoirs. My main criticism is also one of the book’s greatest strengths: this book carries the most weight when read alongside another book. Three points were taken off because I would not recommend this book to everyone, I don’t feel the need to read again, and, in my opinion, it does not exist strongly as a standalone.

The Beautiful Struggle by Ta-Nehisi Coates