When this book was published five years ago, Toni Morrison famously predicted that Coates will fill the intellectual void created when James Baldwin died. Now, seeing this book back on bestseller lists made me wonder what Coates thinks of Baldwin’s legacy. In a May 2020 interview, he said that he respects Baldwin’s belief in the power of love and forgiveness, but that he sees things differently. He believes that power respects power. He describes the world the way he experiences it – not the way he hopes it could be. Its authenticity resonates powerfully with many in the Black Lives Matter movement.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau, 2015, p. 107