The Message

The Message charts Coates s reentry as a public intellectual. . . . The rolling, elegiac cadences of much of his earlier work have yielded to a fury that s harder edged. But a sense of shock also seems to have elicited in Coates a sense of possibility. . . . He is using his position of prominence and moral authority to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians. The New York Times Book Review
 
Ta-Nehisi Coates always writes with a purpose, so naming his latest collection The Message is nothing if not on-brand. But what s the actual message? Consisting of three pieces of nonfiction, the book is part memoir, part travelogue, and part writing primer. . . . These pilgrimages, for him, help ground his powerful writing about race. Associated Press
 
The Message marks Coates s first nonfiction book in nearly a decade, and it arrives at a critical flashpoint in our increasingly globalized society. Harper s Bazaar

An earnest and intimate exploration of locations of extreme injustice, and of the power of writing to render a more compassionate and more honest future . . . At once a rallying cry and a love letter to writing itself, the book is an urgent reminder that politics is the art of the possible, but art creates the possible of politics. Oprah Daily
 
Ever since his Baldwin-inflected Between the World and Me, Coates has been known for his incisive (and sometimes uncomfortable) cultural and political commentary. Here he journeys from West Africa to the American South to Palestine to examine how the stories we tell can fail us, and to argue that only the truth can bring justice. The Boston Globe
 
With his signature incisiveness, Coates interrogates the intersections of race, power, and identity while blending historical insight and personal reflection. Through three essays, Coates presents a global perspective that challenges the status quo and dares us to envision a more just future. SheReads
 
With the game-changing success of his essay/memoir Between the World and Me, anything [Coates] writes will immediately command attention. Here he grapples with the power and danger of storytelling, the too easy way of shaping and softening reality. Parade

Brilliant and timely. Booklist, starred review

A revelatory meditation on shattering journeys. Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Searching and restless, The Message is filled with startling revelations that show a writer grappling with how his work fits into history and the present moment. These masterful essays will leave readers convinced that Coates is up to the task. BookPage, starred review

This is an incendiary shot fired over the bow of America s mainstream journalistic establishment. Publishers Weekly, starred review