Reviews

The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood by Ta-Nehisi Coates

sylda's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

readingmanny's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.0

oraines's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

angelreadsthings's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 Stars. Despite including some of my favorite elements of storytelling, such as poetic phrasing and non-linear histories, this memoir was difficult for me to truly connect with. Coates offers an illuminating portrait of what it was like to grow up as a Black boy in 80s Baltimore and in a family so conscious of the struggle but not immune to its traps, but his writing sometimes meanders, making it hard to follow the progression of the narrative. That being said, I still think some important insights can be gleaned from this memoir, and I feel more prepared to read Between the World and Me having read this earlier book.

vera_michele's review against another edition

4.0

4/5 Stars

I got a little confused in the beginning from so many people being introduced at once, but other than that I really liked it.

thefriendlyabyss's review against another edition

4.0

A beautiful memoir by Coates about his formative years in Baltimore. If you enjoy Ta-Nehisi’s writing, this one is a must read. It’s a window into a way of life that many people have never known. It’s a story about learning the rules of life, how a place has a unique effect on you, and the will to overcome. Everyone should check it out.

hannibal's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

toomi_p's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

4.75

knapptime's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

4.0

kristy_k's review against another edition

3.0

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Coates’ writing (and enjoyed it in the [b:Black Panther, Book 1: A Nation Under Our Feet|29246432|Black Panther, Book 1 A Nation Under Our Feet|Ta-Nehisi Coates|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1524191551s/29246432.jpg|60696447] graphic novel) so I was eager to dive into this book. However, I was a little underwhelmed. His story is interesting but I struggled while reading. It wasn’t as engaging as I thought it’d be. I still want to give his other books a try as those are the ones I hear most about.