A review by skmiles
We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates

5.0

I've been reading Coates since his essay on reparations was assigned to me as an undergraduate and this monograph is a testament to his lasting power. He is thoughtful, critical, eloquent and compelling, without hesitating to apply his analytical lens to his own perspective or writing from the past as well. I found his epilogue in particular to be enlightening in explaining how not idealized "white working class anger" but rather (an unsimple) racism brought about the presidency of Donald Trump. In general, a stirring, well-researched and deeply thoughtful work on race in America. An absolute must-read.