The Message Audiobook By Ta-Nehisi Coates cover art

The Message

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The Message

By: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
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About this listen

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The renowned author of Between the World and Me journeys to three resonant sites of conflict to explore how the stories we tell—and the ones we don’t—shape our realities.

“Ta-Nehisi Coates always writes with a purpose. . . . These pilgrimages, for him, help ground his powerful writing about race.”—Associated Press

“Coates exhorts readers, including students, parents, educators, and journalists, to challenge conventional narratives that can be used to justify ethnic cleansing or camouflage racist policing. Brilliant and timely.”—Booklist (starred review)

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, Electric Lit

Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set out to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic “Politics and the English Language,” but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories—our reporting and imaginative narratives and mythmaking—expose and distort our realities.

In the first of the book’s three intertwining essays, Coates, on his first trip to Africa, finds himself in two places at once: in Dakar, a modern city in Senegal, and in a mythic kingdom in his mind. Then he takes listeners along with him to Columbia, South Carolina, where he reports on his own book’s banning, but also explores the larger backlash to the nation’s recent reckoning with history and the deeply rooted American mythology so visible in that city—a capital of the Confederacy with statues of segregationists looming over its public squares. Finally, in the book’s longest section, Coates travels to Palestine, where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives, and the tragedy that lies in the clash between the stories we tell and the reality of life on the ground.

Written at a dramatic moment in American and global life, this work from one of the country’s most important writers is about the urgent need to untangle ourselves from the destructive myths that shape our world—and our own souls—and embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths.

©2024 Ta-Nehisi Coates (P)2024 Random House Audio
Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Thought-Provoking New York

Interview: Ta-Nehisi Coates to writers around the world: We need you

'The message of The Message is that writing changes the world, but it's also that we need you.'
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  • The Message
  • 'The message of The Message is that writing changes the world, but it's also that we need you.'

Critic reviews

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

What listeners say about The Message

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A Journey of Empathy and Justice: Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Message in His Own Voice

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates was my first real encounter with his work, having first heard about it through the controversy surrounding this very book. It left a lasting impression. His writing is both incisive and deeply articulate, offering an examination of the complex moral boundaries between right and wrong. This work is a page-turner, yet its depth demands both attention and respect, intertwining empathy and hope throughout its narrative. Coates not only speaks to the hope of reparations for the descendants of slavery but extends this hope to all victims of injustice, making his message universally resonant.

I personally listened to the audiobook, narrated by Coates himself, and it added another layer of depth to the experience. Hearing his voice, filled with emotion and empathy, made his words even more powerful, allowing me to feel the weight of his reflections which may be gleaned while reading in between the words of his book if you pay attention.

One of the most moving aspects of this collection is his essay on Palestine. It stands out as a profoundly touching piece, where Coates recounts his personal journey, both physical and emotional, that allowed him to listen to the voices of those who have suffered under oppression. His ability to draw connections between different struggles for justice reveals the expansive nature of his empathy.

Coates’ mastery of language is unparalleled. His choice of words draws you into his experiences, enabling readers to live through his moments, his thoughts, and his emotions. His writing is not only beautiful but also carries a profound love for humanity that shines through each page.

For those seeking an honest, empathetic perspective on the fight for justice, Coates’ work is essential reading. It is a testament to the power of words and the transformative potential of literature in fostering understanding and compassion.

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Now I understand why he's being attacked for this book

His book was a great analysis in the complexities of life in this modern age. He made great efforts to support his thoughts with great examples and tried his best to describe his issues.

This book is a deep reflection that illuminates the matters of hypocrisy that exist in our blind support of Israel. this book asks questions that most Americans should be asking themselves.

I understand why he's being attacked because he highlights the ugliness of our blind support as a country of Israel. He also shows how many of us are complicit in the genocide of the Palestinain people.

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A shared struggle: powerful comparisons between Black Americans and Palestinians

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ latest book masterfully weaves together the experiences of Black Americans and Palestinians, drawing profound connections between two oppressed peoples. Coates’ writing offers a raw, unflinching look at the systemic injustices that persist in both societies, while also celebrating the resilience of those who resist. As a Black reader, I found his analysis deeply resonant, especially in how he illuminates the parallels of displacement, surveillance, and resistance. Coates doesn’t just tell a story; he holds up a mirror, reflecting the intertwined struggles for freedom and dignity across borders. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of global oppression.

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The honesty and self reflection

Amazing weaving of a story from personal to Palestine. I got super emotional. This man feels deeply

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Wow! Well done

Coates is a favorite of mine, but what intrigued me to read this book is the press tour. I wanted to understand what the stir was. He weaves the complex histories of enslavement, genocide, apartheid and holocaust. He explains it from both sides. He’s honest about misconceptions and he doesn’t choose a side, but rather points the finger at himself for being persuaded by a nuanced perspective. I appreciated the thoughtfulness of this book and I learned from his experience that nothing is ever black and white or right and wrong.

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Superb

Everyone should read this book. We must all open our eyes to the myth that Trump and his minions want to preserve. Better to struggle to live the lie than face the truth. We waste our best clinging to white privilege. Shameful. Now the lie is that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and this has the right to kill Palestinians. Wake up.

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Weaving a fabric of our histories and present

Important read. I just recommend without hesitation to widen our aperture of understanding and learning to relearn.

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A book that changes the reader

I love his presentation of insights framed through his own discovery of himself and the world.

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Real Life

I like the realistic view given of the lives of the people of the places visited.

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A powerful read

A thoughtful examination of human nature, culture and society, as well as an examination of the attempt to rewrite and whitewash American history by the powers that be. Presented too, was an eloquent discussion on the similarities of that history, the modern Zionist movement, and the ongoing plight of the disenfranchised Palestinian people. This was a powerful read, and not one that can be ignored or easily dismissed.

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