Summary: Seven essays on Ta-Nehisi Coates and Christianity. I appreciate Ta-Nehisi Coates. And I was intrigued when I saw this book because Coates is a vocal atheist. I think he is respectful of Christianity, but he rejects Christianity largely because of its followers. It is a position that I easily understand, even if I do not … Read more
Summary: A reflection on eight years of Atlantic Essays during the time of Obama. When I first heard about We Were Eight Years in Power, I was excited for a book from Ta-Nehisi Coates about the Obama years. Coates both is a serious critic of Obama and someone that has strongly defended him. I am … Read more
Summary: An impassioned letter from an African American father to his 15 year old son. Between the World and Me deserves all of its praise. It will be on virtually every ‘Best of 2015′ book list. I need some space, but I would like to read it again before the end of the year. This … Read more
Summary: Two academics with pastoral experience process the potential help that Critical Race Theory can bring to the church. If you are “very online” and active on social media, you likely have encountered discussions about Critical Race Theory. Similarly, if you are active in local school board meetings, you have likely seen community comments about … Read more
Summary: A play on the traditional Little Mermaid story. I am a big fan of remixes and reimaginings of stories. Orson Scott Card’s Enchantment is a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me is a reimagining of James Balwin’s letter to his nephew in The Fire Next Time, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Holmes … Read more
I have read fairly widely around various issues of race, but certainly, there are far more books that I have not read than that I have read. So a book not listed here is likely not here because I have not read it or haven’t written about them. I fully realize that this is an … Read more
I have read fairly widely around various issues of race, but certainly, there are far more books that I have not read than that I have read. So a book not listed here is likely not here because I have not read it or haven’t written about them. I fully realize that this is an … Read more
Summary: Democracy in Black addresses the ‘values gap’ between the claimed idealism of equity and democracy and the reality of history. One of the problems with many White people in thinking about issues of race is that Black and other racial groups are still “˜other’. That “˜other’-ness is otherness in part because of the assumption … Read more
Summary: Baldwin continued to grow and think keeping into the 1980s. As someone born in the early 1970s, I am aware of the 1980s, I lived the 1980s, but I have not studied well the 1980s. James Baldwin and the 1980s was helpful, not just in better understanding James Baldwin, but helping me think about … Read more
Summary: At 87 years old, the message John Perkins will be focusing on the rest of his life is the importance of racial reconciliation within the church. One Blood is John Perkins’ last book. So I read it conscious of several of several others books that I have read that were consciously the last books … Read more