We Were Eight Years in Power is provocative, thoughtful, and powerful, containing several essays Coates produced for the Atlantic during the Obama years, and accompanied by recent retrospectives in which the author adds autobiographical content and reflections on the overall staying power of his writings. This book helped me and challenged me to think more carefully about race, while at the same time calling into question many of my assumptions about prosperity and power. As someone who is increasingly trying to understand different perspectives in order to advocate effectively for justice for all people, I have found Coates to be a lucid, disturbing, and unignorable voice. His arguments have moral force, and while I do not agree with him on every point, I nevertheless find his arguments worthy of engagement and debate. Read this book.

A very difficult book to read as a white middle class man. But a very necessary one. Pretty much every page gave me pause to think.

J'ai cru à tort que ces huit ans désignaient la présidence de Barack Obama. Il s'agit en fait d'une citation d'un parlementaire noir de Caroline du Sud se lamentant de la courte durée de la Reconstruction : We were eight years in power. We had built schoolhouses, established charitable institutions, built and maintained the penitentiary system, provided for the education of the deaf and dumb . . . rebuilt the bridges and reestablished the ferries. In short, we had reconstructed the state and placed it on the road to prosperity. Cette courte période qui a pris fin lorsque les anciens Confédérés ont décidé de rendre le Sud à l'homme blanc et de révoquer tout ce qui avait été réalisé (ça me rappelle quelqu'un). On connaît la suite.

Ce livre rassemble huit articles publiés dans The Atlantic au cours de la période entre la candidature de Barack Obama à l'investiture démocrate et la fin de son deuxième mandat présidentiel. Ta-Nehisi nous explique pourquoi il était le candidat parfait : espoir de changement pour les Noirs et autres minorités, et Noir acceptable et non menaçant pour les Blancs.

Les articles sont disponibles sur le site de The Atlantic : This Is How We Lost to the White Man (article sur Bill Cosby avant les accusations), American Girl (sur Michelle Obama), Why Do So Few Blacks Study the Civil War? (sur ce révisionnisme systématique quand la Guerre de Sécession est évoquée), The Legacy of Malcolm X (où il établit un parallèle entre Malcolm X et Barack Obama), Fear of a Black President (sur la façon dont Barack Obama a toujours évité de parler de race et du racisme, et les conséquences les rares fois où il s'y est risqué), The Case for Reparations (sur les compensations dues aux Noirs pour l'esclavage et la ségrégation), The Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration (malheureusement !), My President Was Black (où il dresse un bilan de la présidence de Barack Obama). Chaque article est précédé de remarques : Notes from the First Year, Notes from the Second Year, etc. dans lesquelles il décrit sa situation au moment de la rédaction, le contexte et le motif de l'article, les articles qu'il préfère, ceux qu'il estime ratés, ceux qui ne vont pas assez loin. Et en épilogue, il ajoute l'article The First White President où il explique que 45 a été élu uniquement parce qu'il est Blanc et que son seul objectif est d'effacer toute trace de la présidence d'un Noir qu'il considère comme une insulte personnelle. Il met également à mal la théorie selon laquelle ce sont les laissés pour compte (les pauvres Blancs de la classe ouvrière) qui ont porté 45 au pouvoir. Enfin, il laisse parler les chiffres qui sont sans appel en fait.

Évidemment, ce n’est pas l’idéal de lire tous ces articles à la suite puisque Ta-Nehisi Coates développe parfois les mêmes idées de l’un à l’autre. Cela peut donner l’impression qu’il se répète même si les arguments sont valides à chaque fois. J'ai préféré les derniers articles du recueil. Je retiendrai particulièrement l'affaire Shirley Sherrod (l’une des pires hontes de la présidence de mon président) et le fait que Barack Obama était sûr que 45 ne gagnerait pas l’élection. Il pensait (espérait ?) peut-être que l’Amérique était réellement post-raciale.

Je recommande absolument. En plus d’être très instructif, il permet de voir l’évolution de Ta-Nehisi Coates, sa façon de se former et de s’informer au fil des années. J’aime de plus en plus ce qu’il écrit. Et je lui pardonne son commentaire sur l’éducation en France qui est, il est vrai, partiellement justifié.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. Highly recommend this collection of previously published The Atlantic essays from Coates. I never read any of these essays before, Coates had really not been on my radar until I read Between the World and Me and also started listening to The Atlantic’s new podcast. Not only were the original essays thoughtful and thought-provoking, Coates’ newly written prefaces serve as excellent annotations to what he was thinking when he wrote and how he feels about things now.

I'll bet you thought you knew what that title referred to, before you read the summary, didn't you? I did, too. We are only partially right. The title is actually taken from a quote by South Carolina congressman Thomas Miller in 1895:
"We were eight years in power. We had built schoolhouses, established charitable institutions, built and maintained the penitentiary system, provided for the education of the dear and dumb, rebuilt the ferries. In short, we had reconstructed the State and placed it upon the rode to prosperity."
It was Miller's plea to the "fair-minded people of South Carolina to preserve the citizenship rights of African Americans." It didn't work. The white men who had recently fought so hard to preserve slavery were not ready yet to acknowledge the "actual record of Negro government;" that success undermined white supremacy and had to be crushed.

We Were Eight Years In Power is a series of essays, written during the eight years of Barack Obama's presidency, along with a new essay used to introduce each of the previous essays. In the new essays, Coates examines how his own opinions have changed, explains what he was trying to say in those original essays, and sheds even more light on the subjects he covers. It is clear that Coates is a man who is tireless in his desire to learn but willing to admit that his opinions may change and that there are grays areas.

This book is a tough read for a white person. It made me uncomfortable. It sometimes made me defensive. It absolutely opened my eyes and made me rethink things I had taken as truth, from Booker T. Washington to Ken Burns' documentary about the Civil War and revered historian Shelby Foote, from W. E. B. Dubois to Malcolm X, from the reasons black Americans were happy to see a black man elected president to ways that Obama failed them (although Coates does not blame Obama for all of those failures).

I have my copy of this book through Netgalley which means that it will expire in a couple of weeks. It's a book I will likely buy a copy of, a book that I feel I will need to pick up again to reread essays, to continue to think about the things Coates has said. At one point Coates talks about people asking him to be the voice of black people now and how he is not comfortable with some of the things they ask of him. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept him as the only voice of black Americans. But he is certainly an important one, a writer who will have me looking to learn more.

I would like to give especially warm and sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an advance copy of this book. I flatter myself that, when I receive and review a free e-galley copy of a book, I am returning a favor to the publisher and author by perhaps generating a tiny, tiny amount of interest in the new book, or at least explaining to potential readers what the book is about. But Ta-Nehisi Coates doesn't need my help, what with being one of the highest-profile public intellectuals (on any topic) in the US as of this writing. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised (also mystified) when my request for a free e-copy was approved.

The author's pessimism makes this a difficult book to read. I have to admit that Coates' writing in The Atlantic and elsewhere are usually the sort of long magazine articles I tell myself I need to read to keep informed but don't, because my life feels difficult enough without the pessimism of others, no matter how justified. So, reading this book is a little like taking medicine: something you know is good for you, but you don't look forward to.

This is NOT because Coates's writing is anything less than completely compelling. He's a great writer, completely clear and honest about an extremely difficult topic. He is not afraid to write clearly, even when what he is writing about might be construed as undercutting the argument he is trying to make. You may like what he has to say, or you may not, but you will never, ever be uncertain about his meaning.

It's not a spoiler to say that Coates believes that there is no hope for race relations in the US – that the Obama presidency was like post-Civil War Reconstruction – a moment of hope – and the election of Donald Trump is the Gilded Age-like backlash, complete with the rise of today's Alt-right mirroring the post-Reconstruction ascendancy of the Ku Klux Klan. I'm skeptical of such equivalences. They are usually just an excuse to insult the political opposition. For example, when George W. Bush was President, the fashionable historical comparison was US today = Germany in the 1930s. In other words, Bush and his supporters = Nazis. Now, it's Trump and his supporters = Klan. I don't like these formulation because there's a certain Boy Who Cried Wolf problem – if we're always saying “the wolf has arrived”, no one will believe it when the wolf actually arrives, as may be happening, even now.

So many reviews of this book, amateur and otherwise, seem to hinge on the question: Is there really no hope? Americans are known worldwide as an optimistic race who believe that all problems are potentially solvable. I am one of these people, but I can't pretend that I can make new or compelling arguments about why Coates shouldn't be so glum, chum. In the light of recent political developments, even guardedly optimistic statements (“Things are better than they used to be!”) sound especially hollow, even if technically true.

When Coates refers to historical and/or cultural figures that the average reader might be unfamiliar with, he usually explains them, e.g. “Keith Russell Judd, a white felon incarcerated in a federal prison who racked up more than 40 percent of the [West Virginia 2008 Democratic] primary vote” (Kindle location 5083). However, sometimes he assumed that reader knows everything he knows, and including the identities of certain figures, often from African-American culture and history. Rightly or wrongly, I did not know some of them. Links to these references follow: Uncle Ruckus (l. 222), Les Brown (l. 222), Spud Webb (l. 1705), Martin Robison Delany (l. 1853), Claudette Colvin (l. 1892), Harriet Christian (l. 1895), and Rick Santelli (l. 1895).

We Were Eight Years in Power
By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Book Review

Impressions

It is thought that the first documented African slaves arrived on these shores in the year 1612.

This book is so rich in historical benchmarks and telling(s) of times and people that sculptured who we are as a nation. There’s little space in this review to highlight all the points discussed. They are all so very relevant. So, I’ll speak to a few.

I was waiting a long time for this journal and the writing is better than I’d hoped. In each generation an African American author presents to the world a treatise that paints a vivid picture in eloquent terms that speaks to the heart. This compilation points the way to understanding the deeper aspects of our culture. The results of Mr. Coates’ research is a brilliant and honest body of work and art.

He began with our most recent history

We saw Barack Obama as the quintessential choice for POTUS 44. This was a prideful offering representing how we view not only African America but America’s values. Our gratification did not stem from just the color of his skin, rather the fact of his bona fide, the character with which he conducts his life.

The author captures this sentiment superbly.

To many of us in Chicago Barack Obama is the incarnation of what the old dreamers back in the day and just up from the south envisioned as what was possible. Barack is considered an expression of all that is good in our culture. Mr. Coates’ details of the times and social conditions that surrounded that election is brilliant journalism. His firsthand account of the primary and general, of Michelle’s roles during those history making moments should be a must read for aspiring journalists. It goes beyond simple social studies.

We’re the hidden American culture

The book explores candidly how Michelle Obama’s middle-class upbringing seemed to be a subject of discovery for many Americans. The debates about whether she was a proudful American or not grew into a national phenomenon. It raged on explaining how the anathema amongst the White populist justified the events leading to the formation of the Tea Party. This aspect of American cultured cannot be defined or explained enough. Coates clarified in painful detail this false narrative that helped propel theories as fact that the first African American President is not a true American, in some quarters he lacked human attributes. It’s a painful reminder.

This book peels a way so much of what White American has chosen not to address or understand about our post World War II parentage. Come up from the south they built communities where our doctors were black, the lawyer, real estate brokers, grocer and butcher were all people of color. It was considered disrespectful to patronize a white business when there were “our people” needing the work. African America enjoyed with pride insular communities. The author captures this recollection with care and great understanding.

“The South Side was almost a black world unto itself, replete with the economic and cultural complexity of the greater city. There were debutantes and cotillions as well as gangs and drug addicts, Mostly, there were men like Fraser Robinson, black people working a job, trying to get by. The diversity and the demographics allowed the Robinsons to protect their kids from the street life, and also from digest, personal racism.”

Reparation; to make amends, to bring whole what was taken.

Coates’ views on the “banditry” of African Americans debates brilliantly the reasons for his heartbreak on this subject. The robbing of African Americans of heritage and vows of reparations is explored in this book. He explains the machinations surrounding broken promises made of forty acres and a mule to the various failed social reforms I’ll address later in this review.

The only thing missing in this chapter is the harsh reality of the lack of economic value our country still holds for its African American communities. I’ve not to date viewed a plausible quant study on the cost to the Negro culture. It is indeed worth taking a knee for. According to the statistics in this book there’s continued harshness visited upon the African American, we’ve certainly earned the right to peacefully protest these egregious symptoms of imbalance.

It is hard to convey how needful it is for everyone to understand that we are not a “Photonegative of each other” – Ta-Nehisi Coates

Honesty

Coates uses as example social economists like Patrick Moynihan who lent his brilliance to creating various iterations of social programs meant to alleviate the Negro plight. Most failed and instead of them becoming teachable times, they more than often created deeper chasms of social wrongs. These social experiments have left indelible societal scars that will last for generations.

The end of marginalization is a many generational and much wish for event. And yet here we are again…more “the other” than ever…. or so it sometime seems.

Story/Plot/Conflict
Where do we go from here? This story seems ageless but this writing will rank among the finest example of journalism.

The plot is yet to be discovered. Not until the current American culture comes to understand the nature of marginalization and its hideous influence on socio-economics and sovereign survival. Will this “plot” ever be understood.

The conflict lies in the need to dismiss and not read books like this that bring some understanding to the why of our selective ignorance about each other.


Critiques This work is a must read for everyone. No matter the country or culture there are lessons in this book that are needful to humanity. Ta-Nehisi Coates joins the esteem ranks of this generation’s finest author.

Thank you, Mr. Coates

Great read and this author has never let you down. These essays makes you think and ponder what is going on.

An excellent collection of essays written by Coates during the eight years of Barack Obama's administration. Where is the 'American tragedy' you may ask? In what follows those eight years. In the shattering of 'the dream of a post-racial America.'

"...writing is always some form of interpretation, some form of translating the specificity of one's roots or expertise or even one's own mind into language that can be absorbed and assimilated into the consciousness of a broader audience."

In these essays, Coates discusses the hypocrisy behind the founding ideas of America, his studies of the American Civil War, the case for reparations, the state of the black family in the age of mass incarceration, and the rise of white supremacy once again after the election of Donald Trump. Eye-opening. Mind-expanding.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an arc of this important work.

Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of _Between the World and Me_ turns in his latest release to ruminations on a collection of various essays he wrote during the eight years that Barack Obama served as president.

Each essay is precluded with commentary or notes, on what was happening during the time Coates was drafting each individual essay. Happenings extend not only from the politics of the time to personal events in Coates' own life.

Each of his essays are well-researched, and focus on so many of the issues that people of color face each and every day. Coates does not mince words. He lays out the hard facts on race, politics, and the eight years of Obama's presidency. He speaks of icons from the Civil Rights movement, specifically Malcolm X. He writes extensively about the reparations or lack thereof that were made to those whose families were part of slavery.

He shines a much-needed light on how America's first black president was viewed. That former President Obama was always having to dance around the subject of race, or face even more criticism and backlash from whites.

Overall, Coates' set of essays is moving, poignant, and hard-hitting. This is not a collection that says, "Yay, America finally elected a person of color as president," but rather a collection that says, "We elected a person of color for president, but we have gone backwards instead of forwards. We have much work left to do."

A collection of thoughtful and thought-provoking essays and articles by the unfailingly brilliant Coates. He draws readers in with his lyrically beautiful prose and keeps them hooked with a mix of well-structured arguments, statistics, anecdotes, and passion. This book still offers something for the author's staunch admirers who've already read all eight previously published articles featured in this collection--brand new essays bookend each article (I'm reluctant to describe them as a "behind the scenes"' look into Coates's writing of each article, as they are so much more than that), offering new insights into the writing, our world, and the man himself. Another must read from one of the strongest writers of his generation.

It's tempting to use the word "timely" when talking about this book, but there is never a time when Ta-Nehisi Coates' words aren't vitally important if you want an honest view of America as a land of immense contradiction. We Were Eight Years in Power connects the dots between current politics and history, providing a sweeping picture of the Obama years and the battle for civil rights in the 20th century, while also opening a door into his own personal growth as a writer. He presents a multi-faceted story of how we arrived where we are now--politically, socially, and in terms of our cyclical struggles for true equality in a nation built on oppression. A powerful, important, and--yes--timely work.

I had my issues with Between the World and Me but I thought to myself within the first 50 pages that I’d have better things to say about We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy. I really like and respect Ta-Nehisi Coates as a writer and as the black intellectual he hesitates call himself. His introductions to each essay in which he gives a bit of personal background and even evaluates the ways he felt he could’ve done better in each piece were one of my favorite parts about this book.

I appreciated that Coates didn’t skimp on historical detail. There were quotes, statistics, and interviews to support his writings on the black experience, black identity, black issues, and his viewpoints on President Obama. The author is very liberal in his views and his use of the “n-word” in some parts of the book. While some of the essays were written a few years ago, they all felt painfully relevant to the America we find ourselves in today. To arrange eight essays for the eight years Obama was in office and produce a book with a title based on an ominous quote from 1895 was, in my eyes, a pretty brilliant approach.

Overall, “We Were Eight Years in Power” is a collection attempting to paint a picture of the past eight years and the effects of many years ago that color the issues that continue to plague African Americans. In that purpose, I thought it was a fine piece of work by a writer whose ability to tie together his work as a journalist and offer a perspective that is well-researched, yet still personal and compassionate, is to be admired.

3.5 stars but hear me out!

This book is a collection of eight essays by writer Ta-Nehisi Coates, one from each year of the Obama presidency. Preceding each essay is an introduction of sorts, written by PresentDayCoates, that are less about the upcoming essay and more about where he was in life at the time he wrote it. The essays themselves have all been previously published, most by The Atlantic. That’s why I rated it what I did. I’d already read most of the essays previously and the introductions beforehand didn’t add enough to them for me to say “yes, you should definitely go out and buy this book!” Books aren’t cheap and when most of it is available by a simple google search, it’s hard to justify that. If you haven’t read his work in The Atlantic, then by all means, buy the book. Two of the longest essays make up about 50% of the book, his famed The Case for Reparations and the last essay, My President Was Black. These were both heavy circulated online, especially in liberal-leaning circles, and take up the majority of the pages.

If you’re looking for a love letter about the Obama years, this is not it. If you know Coates, you knew that going in. If you’re unfamiliar with his work, it’s a good read and important in this day and age. His voice is needed, his viewpoint necessary, and thankfully, available at large.

I will say that I enjoy listening to Coates more than I do reading him. That’s a stylistic preference on my part though. As noted in one of my progress updates, my issue with reading Coates is that WHAT he says is so important and necessary but his writing style - HOW he says it - doesn’t often work for me. There’s no rhythm to find. It’s all crazy sentence after crazy long sentence with little variety in style. It feels weighted and dense, not in a good way. Not in subject matter, but composition.

Ultimately, you need to read Coates’ writing, whether that’s online or in this compilation is up to you.


Disclaimer: I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy is a strong reflection on America during the Obama years. Not only is it an examination of our country but also a roadmap of Ta-Nehisi Coates career as a black writer and eight (8) of his previously published articles. It gives a glimpse into his thoughts and behind-the-scenes of his writing assignments from 2008-2016.

This nonfiction book is also a history lesson. Coates brings up things that even I hang my head in shame because I didn't know the full true story. It seems I am one of the few blacks to study The Civil War. He also mentions black and white supremacy, mass incarceration, hip-hop, reparations, call-outs, slavery, economic issues and other difficult topics that need to be discussed in the black community but are often glossed over. His writing style is more personal perspective than a politically correct rhetoric. This is a fine line for journalists so kudos to Coates!

If you are looking for an in-your-face, my President was black, more power to our people book then this is not for you. On the flip-side, this is not a book for those committed to whiteness (which you probably aren't reading this review anyway). At almost 400 pages, it brings a deeper vibe than Between the World and Me. It is for intelligent minds to digest and discuss. It is for readers ready to receive knowledge. It is motivation for bloggers. It is for the average person of color to read and reflect on those eight years of "Good Negro Government." And alas, it is for open-minded Americans.

Happy Pub Day, Ta-Nehisi Coates! We Were Eight Years in Power is now available.

LiteraryMarie

Searing and painful and as always beautifully written. It's important that Coates put this work into a single volume. The narrative peels back the layers of the past few years and punches you in the stomach with its honesty. (ARC)

Ta-Nehisi Coates's essay collection, We Were Eight Years in Power, will bring out the full range of emotions in readers- anger, sadness, passion. While the essays in the collection will be familiar to readers of the author's work in The Atlantic, he contextualizes them with introductions to each that provide insight into his personal life and professional growth alongside the articles, as well as his relationship to and with President Obama. Well researched, informed, and impassioned, these essays shine a critical light on racism and injustice and its long history in this country. Despite the vast number of political tomes that have been released or are upcoming over the last year and coming months, this collection stands out for the author's writing style and his frank and critical take on the country's current state and history.

In the midst of the chaos that is 2017, the universe bestowed a gift into my hands: an advance copy of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s new book, We Were Eight Years In Power: An American Tragedy.

It could not be more timely and I could not be more honored to have had the chance to read it. I’ll not quote passages here in part because I read a copy that was not the final version, but also because I would have a fifty page review; it is that good.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy resonated with me and is a book I will refer to repeatedly and will certainly read again in its entirety. It resonated not just in the powerful writing, intellectual rigor or the thorough documentation of sources, but in the way that I felt this book was written for me. Probably, it was. Me and everyone like me who wants to do better.

I am, by the way, a middle-aged white woman born in 1964. I was raised in the tradition of white supremacy and now attempt, daily, to find ways to redeem myself. My parents were not overtly racist—at least not often—but neither did we ever have a conversation about race. Not even in relation to the civil rights movement or the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Not once. I have had a lot of catching up to do.

To be clear, this is not a quick read; it is dense and intimidating and essential.

Structurally, the book is built around previously published essays by Coates from The Atlantic, and complimented by new essays covering the years of Obama’s presidency. In the new pieces, Coates often includes deeply personal views of himself as the author. As a writer, I find his examination of these essays interesting because he also holds himself accountable for what he now, in retrospect, thinks works and doesn’t work in each piece. I find this gracious on his part, in allowing a glimpse of how this remarkable writer judges his own work.

Much more importantly, however, is the way in which Coates ties these essays into a larger narrative of how we got to where we are today with our current president and political climate. He does not mince his words in underscoring the issues of race as they rose back up to the surface (they’d never gone away) over the past years as white America looked at a black president on their nightly news.

Personally, I was one of the many caught up in the euphoria of Obama and his elegant presence and eloquent words, both on the page and in speeches. I was mesmerized by Obama's brilliance. I did not see the signs that allowed for our current administration because I did not want to. In We Were Eight Years in Power, Coates pops the bubble and highlights essential lessons. Through the older essays and the newer sections that join them together, he brings our current situation into perspective in ways I am not smart enough to see without guidance.

We–and, in particular, I mean white people–do not deserve this book because Coates has done so much of the work for us, and yet we now have access to it. It is incumbent upon us to read it, and, of course, much much more. Black and brown people in the USA have been forced to learn our white history and it is long overdue for us to do the work and learn theirs. It is on us to understand the full history that led us to where we are today and how black and brown bodies have paid the price, and continue to pay the price, simply because of the color of their skin.

In this collection, Coates covers both recent and distant chapters of history and draws clear, defined links to our country in 2017. He highlights the tangible factors that perpetuate white supremacy and, in turn, racial injustice. This is not a book simply about understanding black history in America, far from it. Saying so would be both a disservice to the excellence of this work but also a lie. Indeed, this is a book that thoughtfully helps us understand American history through a more complete narrative. All of the accounts were already there, but Coates has pulled them together through poignant, diligent reporting and heartfelt self-reflection.

As a college instructor, I would very much like to teach this remarkable collection of essays from one of the great minds of our time. As a citizen, I would like to encourage every concerned, conscious, American to read this book and learn. Racism continues to undermine our attempts at democracy and we must have the uncomfortable discussions if we are ever to move forward. If you’re not sure how to start those conversations, We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy will give you plenty of ideas with which to begin.

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, published by One World comes out on October 3, 2017. I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.