Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)

Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Random House
Nonfiction, Essays/Memoir/Sociology
****+ (Good/Great)

DESCRIPTION: In a series of essays written for his son, award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates reflects on the long, complicated history of race and his own unfinished journey to understand what it means to be Black in America.

REVIEW: If there's one thing recent events/backslides in national policy in 2025 have driven home with the force of the Chicxulub dinosaur-killer asteroid, it's a need to confront the ongoing cost of racism in regards to... well, pretty much everything in the modern world, particularly the "Western" modern world, because what looked to many of us like progress was just more wallpaper plastered over the gaping cracks and toxic mold devouring our collective house. (And, yes, as a straight white woman I had an unearned luxury of ignorance for far too long.) By tying lessons and lives and events from history into his own life and ever-evolving understanding, Coates presents a gripping, often cutting narrative. To ask if there's hope for a race-free future is to ask the wrong question, another wallpaper-over-the-mold question that tries to handwave away the hard, individual and institutional self-examination and systemic changes that would be required to begin to reach such a place. There is anger, there is despair, there is even bewilderment, but also a certain determination (it would be wrong to really call it optimism or hope, especially not in the flowery bright-sider way those words are too often used). These are not always easy essays to read (or listen to, as this was another audiobook - as a side note, the author does a great job narrating, which is not something I can say for all authors, but I digress), but they are needed essays.

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Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race? (Keith Boykin)

Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race?: 25 Arguments That Won't Go Away
Keith Boykin
Bold Type Books
Nonfiction, History/Law/Politics/Sociology
****+ (Good/Great)

DESCRIPTION: Slavery's been over for ages - why keep bringing up the past? Isn't "equal opportunity" just reverse racism against whites? Why can't we just ignore race altogether? Don't all lives matter? Every time someone mentions racial discrimination and inequality, these and more arguments inevitably pop up, shutting down discussions and derailing progress and demanding time and energy to answer questions that have quite definitively been answered innumerable times (just not the way that those who benefit from ongoing racial inequality would like). In this book, writer Keith Boykin dissects 25 common arguments that have been used to prevent real progress on issues of race, racism, and equity from history to modern times.

REVIEW: Reading this after the election of November 2024 - when a significant portion of the American public deliberately and definitively rejected progress on race (and pretty much every other front), setting the stage for a near-inevitable rapid race backwards on a scale I doubt I'll see recovered in my lifetime - puts a certain painful spin on this book, which deftly explores America's history of racial injustice and its often haphazard and temporary attempts to correct a problem of its own making. Boykin draws on history, personal experience, and current events to demonstrate how racism infiltrates every aspect of policy and life; the reason "everything has to be about race" is because there's no way for any remotely meaningful discussion on any problems facing the country today to occur without acknowledging how race has skewed America and its ostensible promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness since before the founding documents were drafted. It would be like trying to discuss forestry without talking about all that pesky woody plant life everyone keeps dragging into the conversation. The fact that these policies rooted in historic and ongoing racism also tangibly hurt other demographics makes it all the more urgent that they be addressed, but arguments like the ones presented here are designed to keep the topic muddled and turn those demographics against each other, tiring themselves out with explanations and infighting and semantics.
By turns informative, inspiring, and depressing, it makes for interesting reading, though I sadly can't help but suspect that a nation that hasn't apparently learned a thing in over two hundred years of existence - that apparently would rather slit its own throat and throw itself into the grasp of an avowed and proud traitor and authoritarian, potentially abandoning democracy altogether, in a pivotal election where race was very much a factor - is unlikely to ever actually address the problems of race and racism and systemic inequality without near-complete self immolation first... and maybe not even then.

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The Third Man Factor (John Geiger)

The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible
John Geiger
Hachette Books
Nonfiction, Psychology/Sociology/Survival
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: A scuba diver in a deep cave loses track of her guideline... only to sense a presence that helps keep her calm until she can escape. An injured mountain climber, lost in bad weather, is tempted to give up, until someone who could not possibly be there urges them onward toward rescue. A sailor attempting a solo circumnavigation senses and even sees and hears a stranger aboard their ship, helping them through rough weather. An explorer lost in hostile jungle terrain follows a phantom figure to safety. A man in the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks feels a presence just behind him, guiding him to safety before the towers collapse.
It sounds like the stuff of fiction, but these and other encounters like them are recorded thousands of times and more: people in high-stress, emergency situations and survival circumstances who sense or even see a phantom person, an entity that sometimes just watches and sometimes actively seems to offer advice or assistance. The figure can be a simple sensation of an unseen presence, a figure lacking features, an associate or loved one, or even a complete stranger. Even famed explorers like Shackleton experienced this, though many hide encounters for years or decades to avoid ridicule. The "Third Man Factor" is a real phenomenon, for all that nobody seems quite sure what the cause or trigger is. Author John Geiger relates several stories of Third Man encounters, along with studies and theories on their nature, from spiritual guides to evolutionary survival tactics to neural misfirings.

REVIEW: I've heard a few mentions of Third Man-like experiences in other survival stories, but this book is the first I've read dedicated solely to the phenomenon, which often falls into a gray area between spiritual or religious beliefs and neurochemistry. Actually studying it in action is difficult to impossible, given that it generally takes extreme situations to trigger, though some progress has been made on simulating similar experiences in lab settings. There's also some indication that it is related to the sense of a presence during sleep paralysis episodes and "imaginary friends" generated in childhood, and also possibly the misplaced sense of self that can also be seen in out-of-body experiences and "phantom limb" feelings in amputees; indeed, more than one person reporting their encounters seems to realize at some point that the "other" is an extension of themselves. Unlike delusional episodes or hallucinations, the people experiencing the Third Man often know that the "other" cannot possibly be there in truth, but the presence can still sometimes mean the difference between life and death in a very literal sense. "Third Men" (sometimes manifesting as female, or of undetermined gender) may well be an extreme survival tactic concocted by our social ape brains, for all that they sometimes seem like inert entities or even, rarely, vaguely malevolent (as in the "sleep paralysis demons" some report); just the sense of not being alone can help one rally in the face of impossible odds. The stories Geiger relates can occasionally bleed together (how many mountaineering disasters can a reader be expected to keep straight?), and sometimes the Third Man entity/experience involved seems more tangential than instrumental to helping the victims pull themselves together and get out of trouble, but overall it's a decently interesting look at an unusual psychological phenomenon.

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White Fragility (Dr. Robin DiAngelo)

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Race
Dr. Robin DiAngelo
Beacon Press
Nonfiction, Sociology
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: "I don't see color." "Only bad people are racist." "If I don't mean any harm, it's their fault if they're offended." "Some of my best friends are Black." "It's classism that's the problem, not racism." Antiracist educator Dr. Robin DiAngelo hears these and many more rationalizations, excuses, deflections, and brush-offs in her work. But racism is such an intrinsic, inherent part of the modern world that it's impossible not to have absorbed some racist ideas. In this book, she explores the tangled roots of racism, how it's more than possible for a "nice" person to perpetuate harm, how progressive approaches can backfire and regressive elements adapt with each new generation, and how nothing is ever going to change so long as the hard, individual work cannot be done and difficult, uncomfortable conversations cannot be had.

REVIEW: Anyone who thought America's racism issues ended with Barack Obama's election - look, a Black man in the highest elected office! Racism is obviously cured! - should have gotten a wake-up call with the next election, though we white people have long been blissfully ignorant and dismissive of the voices that have been trying to wake us up all along. The fact that we've been able to remain ignorant, and had the luxury to dismiss the problems, is yet more evidence that books like this are necessary reading.
This is a short read (or listen), but an important and impactful one. Written by a white woman, it forces the reader to confront uncomfortable truths about society and the lies we like to tell ourselves, showing just how deeply the messaging is embedded in pretty much every aspect of culture. Unless you were born and raised alone on an island, you have not only been exposed to racist cultural ideas but have absorbed and perpetuated them without thinking, part of the social contract we all are party to every time we interact with others. She makes the distinction between racial prejudice, a more personal problem (and what most people call "racism", what prompts the slurs and the rocks thrown at school kids and the rallies with torches), and racism, a systemic problem affecting every part of life especially in Western cultures (though spread, via economic and media influence, worldwide), and shows how, even if it's not considered socially acceptable to repeat racist slurs in public anymore, it's not only acceptable but encouraged to repeat the same attitudes in coded, softer language and behaviors. There is also an extensive look at the all-too-predictable behaviors of being confronted for racist infractions, all of which shuts down real dialog and learning possibilities, refocuses attention, and once again demands that others provide support and comfort to the white person being "attacked". While she acknowledges there have been some gains and changes, she also points out that those gains have all too often been absorbed and twisted to support the same old narratives, as the basic social mechanisms that created and perpetuated racism are still grinding along unchecked. Pointing to those gains alone is another way to circumvent the hard conversations and difficult work that needs to happen if we are ever going to move past the racism that is hurting everyone.
Before systems can change, individuals must change... yes, all of us, even the "nice" ones. Books like this one can help get the conversation started, at least.

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Scatter, Adapt, and Remember (Annalee Newitz)

Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive A Mass Extinction
Annalee Newitz
Anchor
Nonfiction, Science/Sociology
**** (Good)

DESCRIPTION: If there's one thing the history of the earth teaches us, is that change is inevitable - as is extinction. Since its formation, the planet's atmosphere has veered from snowball to greenhouse, methane to oxygen, lush tropical paradise to barren wasteland, even the occasional catastrophic impact from space. Species come and go, with life enduring massive upheavals and bottlenecks. So far as we know, however, humans are the first species to not only be able to observe and predict coming catastrophes, but engineer our own survival. As life itself has to change to survive in dramatically altered circumstances, so, too, we will have to change: how we live, how we think, what we value, even perhaps our own bodies. In this book, author Annalee Newitz looks to the past to understand where humans have come from and what we've come through, then to the present and future to consider what challenges we face in our long-term survival and what we might have to do to endure.

REVIEW: Oh, the sweet optimism of the previous decade... Starting with the earliest life forms (cyanobacteria) to showcase how life has proliferated even under the most trying of circumstances and bounced back from extinction-level events of almost unimaginable proportions, Newitz's book - published in 2013 - offers tempered optimism, based on humanity's previous brushes with oblivion, that we can overcome the numerous challenges before us - climate collapse, resource scarcity, disease, and more - and come out the other side, perhaps altered on a fundamental level but still alive and potentially thriving. Unfortunately, I'm reading this after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that makes a lie of her extensive chapter on global disease and how humanity "will" come together to confront and overcome the next pandemic threat... something which, as we sadly know, is not what happened, at least not as well as one might hope. Instead of coming together and embracing science for the good of the whole, too many turned to tribalism and denial and weaponized ignorance to deepen divides and gain short-term political ground on the backs of long-term damage and death tolls, even leading to potential knock-on effects (I have to wonder if the politicized ranting about vaccines is linked to the current worrying dip in standard childhood vaccinations and rise in diseases like measles in "developed" nations that had once beaten it back; even as I type this, one American state proposed banning COVID vaccines altogether, a move which, even if it was withdrawn, is an exceptionally worrisome sign of the overall political climate that has gained far, far too much traction in recent years, not to mention the general state of education that allowed said climate to develop in the first place... but I digress). Considering that this book was written only ten years ago, it's a sad statement that the author's optimism has so quickly dated her book. It also makes other scenarios and changes she proposes seem far less likely to come to fruition; she does acknowledge that there needs to be sufficient political will to fix problems current and future, but I think she underestimated the level of resistance and even active backsliding those in power seem prepared to execute just to maintain their grips and the illusion that nothing needs to change (because if nothing changes they won't lose their power). That things do need to change is absolutely undeniable, and the many different possible changes and responses to different threats are outlined here, through numerous interviews with experts. From living skyscrapers to underground shelters to potential body modifications and even space colonization, all manner of possibilities are discussed.
Despite the unfortunate dating (after only a decade), it's an interesting exploration of what the future could bring if humans choose to rise to the occasion. I wish I had more faith that any of the futures Newitz outlines here will come to pass. If they do, I fear it will only be after our current catastrophic age plays out to the very last gasp, with far more losses all around than should be necessary if we really lived up to our own species name of "wise man".

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How to Be Perfect (Michael Schur)

How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question
Michael Schur
Simon and Schuster
Nonfiction, Humorous Nonfiction/Media Reference/Philosophy/Sociology
****+ (Good/Great)

DESCRIPTION: When the quirky comedy show The Good Place debuted on NBC in 2016, following the recently-deceased Eleanor Shellstrop after she finds herself misplaced in the "Good Place" after a morally questionable life, it brought matters of ethics and morality into millions of living rooms. The struggle to define morality, what it means to be a good person (and even why one should strive to be good), is one humans have wrestled with since prehistory. In that time, we've domesticated wolves, reshaped the climate, sent space probes beyond the edge of the solar system, and decoded DNA, so one would think someone would've come up with an answer to this whole "what is 'good'?" ethical question by now. Well, they have - numerous answers, often contradictory, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Series creator Michael Schur relates the history of ethical theories and how they work (or sometimes fail to work) in practice, while also discussing his own struggles to define a personal moral code that's both fair and feasible.
The audiobook features cameos from several series stars and a few others.

REVIEW: The Good Place is one of the best shows, start to finish, I've seen. One of its many strengths was its ability to relate complex matters of ethics and morality in palatable ways, no doctorates required, showing how even the most flawed and seemingly irredeemable of people can learn and grow if given the tools and the chance. Somewhat remarkably in an America that has always skewed to an assumed Christian cultural root, the show explored ideas of right and wrong without resorting to religion as a backstop; though there is a metaphysical element in the whole series concept of souls and the Good and Bad places, the characters arrive at their conclusions without the carrot or stick of divine edict driving them. Much like the series, this book also avoids religion, which is - despite what many fundamentalists seem to insist - not a necessary component of morality. Delving into lessons from Aristotle, Kant, Sartre, and others, Schur gives a rough-sketch rundown of the basic ideas behind major schools of thought... all of which require some moderation for practice in a world that's a lot bigger, messier, and more complicated than any strict theory can accomodate. With those tools, he then shows how to approach various problems, from thought exercises like the trolley problem to practical applications such as returning shopping carts, as well as potential pitfalls, and (naturally) some callbacks to The Good Place. Throughout the book runs a strong vein of humor which, like in the show, helps keep the subject matter relatable. I found the whole thing both entertaining and thought-provoking, much like the series.
Examining one's own morality, developing and living by a code of ethics, is not something many of us have been encouraged to actively do. It's a process that is, by its very nature, never finished and requires constant fine-tuning through inevitable failures. There are no definitive and clear answers. There is no one-size-fits-all option. There is also a lot that is simply beyond our control, and it's all too tempting to just give up. In this book, Schur makes a strong argument for why we should make the effort anyway, whether or not there's a Good Place waiting for us at the end of it all.

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How to Be an Antiracist (Ibram X. Kendi)

How to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi
One World
Nonfiction, Autobiography/History/Politics/Sociology
***** (Great)

DESCRIPTION: Today's demonstrations in the name of Black Lives Matter are just the latest face of a struggle over racial equity that predates the founding of America. Many people are energized to join the marchers, many call for their dispersal, but a great number still sit on the sidelines as though it's not their problem. "I'm not a racist," they say, or "I don't have a dog in this fight" ... or "it'll die out on its own if we just ignore color altogether." But the story of racism is more than just the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr or Jim Crow South or affirmative action. It's a story that involves everybody, a story on which power in the modern world as a whole has been built on a foundation of racism and inequity - one that's brought us to the literal brink, racially and politically and environmentally. It's not enough to just say one is not racist; to have any hope of actual, lasting change, one must be antiracist. Scholar, author, and activist Ibram X. Kendi traces the history of racism through history and his own life, from the invention of the concept of race through generations of supporters and detractors and the many (often flawed) proposed solutions, to the concept of antiracism as an active voice and movement.

REVIEW: As a lower-income left-leaning white woman, I've been aware that racism existed for some time, though it never quite seemed to touch my life (that I was aware of). Like many, I've been watching recent developments (or degenerations) with increasing concern. It seemed there was a lot I hadn't been told or did not understand, for this much apparent progress - for the "arc of history" I'd been told to trust would inevitably bend toward justice and equality - to backslide this far and this fast, despite apparent widespread objection. So, when the recent spurt of books on racism hit the library system where I worked, I figured it was time to do some self-education to try to understand what was going on, and why, and if there was anything that could be done. After the initial surge, this book was one of the ones that still surfaced regularly in circulation, so I figured it might be one to try. (It was also relatively short; some of those books are bricks, and I'm an undereducated American public school alumnus, so they'd likely be way too much for an introduction.) It turned out to be a very good choice.
Drawing on both deep scholarly research and his personal and family history, Kendi exposes the roots of racism at the start of the European slave trade (and the very capitalistic idea of doing an end-run around the competition, slave-traders from the Middle East... plus advertising to justify their "product" and "brand" by inventing a vision of Africa and Africans with no basis in reality but which rationalized the whole deal - and, not coincidentally, generated enormous profits.) To be sure, humans have long held prejudices against other nations and cultures - a pitfall of a brain evolved to seek mental shortcuts and patterns even when none exist, perhaps, as many prejudices seem to play right into hardwired mental blind spots - but color-based racism was an invention with a verifiable birth date. These ideas were further refined down through the ages, evolving to counter arguments and objections, dehumanizing and othering non-Whites, layering themselves into the fabric of society and policy and classes and popular thinking until even those who wanted to fix the problem too often came at the matter from flawed and racist assumptions, that the Black people needed to be "elevated" (as though they were inherently lower) or "assimilated" (as though their cultures and languages were inherently inferior) or "saved" (as though Europeans were doing their souls a favor.) Nor is racism strictly a problem of White people; many Blacks (and other races) unthinkingly swallow and regurgitate racist ideas against Whites, against Blacks of a different social strata or cultural origin, against other races - even against themselves, as reflected in movements that blame racial inequality on personal failings and laziness rather than institutions and policies designed against them. Kendi again draws on his own life and his often-painful struggle with inherited ideas of race and gender (he ties feminism and LGBTQ+ issues into the greater struggle of racism and inequality; to embrace antiracism is to recognize that any policy dehumanizing or belittling or othering any part of the human race, by skin color or gender or anything, shares the same root and spreads the same poison.) It is a very enlightening and sobering exploration, one that left me astounded at my own short-sighted ignorance.
Toward the end, he explores why antiracism seems to be floundering - an overreliance on ideological "purity" and moral victories over focusing on tangible policy changes that actually create change, plus a strange refusal to admit that flawed tactics are not working even as progress gets steamrolled by the re-energized racists in power. Kendi acknowledges that we're in dire straits, especially with the racist power structure bringing us to the edge of economic, social, and environmental collapse (racism is inextricably tied with capitalism, which is responsible for so much destruction and anti-environmental policies linked to runaway global warming), but insists that hope cannot be abandoned altogether. In the end, I consider myself much more educated on the subject, if much more aware of how deep the problem truly runs and how big and many-headed this Goliath truly is. I may not be able to do much, if anything, about the greater problems, but I can hopefully do something about my own misconceptions.

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