Onefinemess

The Beautiful Struggle
by: Ta-Nehisi Coates

This was the first memoir I’ve read and may not be the last.  I’ve never had much interest in the format, but this one was interesting enough that I may pursue others.  So why did I read it in the first place?  Well, those of you that know me may be aware that I’m a regular commenter on Coates’ blog (link right over there in the blogroll – if you’re too lazy to  move the mouse to the link I will mock you in that in the time it took me to type out this parenthetical I could have just re-linked it but I didn’t. OK FINE HERE!).   Anyway, I’ve been a commenter there about 2 years now ([EDIT: He started at the Atlantic on August 4th, 2008. Before that he blogged elsewhere, but the 08/04/08 post was the first one I saw.]) and have had the book on my backburner in a while but the fact that it was a memoir just kept it way down my list.  Then, he posted some excerpts (here’s one), and I immediately re-evaluated.

Not only was he writing in a style that I found engaging and immersive, he was using vocabulary that spoke directly to my experience as a young geek (D&D, comic & geekery references pepper the book, many of which you might not catch if you aren’t in the know) and using it in a way that not only acknowledged geekdom, but used the trappings of geekdom to illuminate the “real” in a way that wouldn’t be possible without it.  I think they call this “skill” and “craft”.

So, bits of the book might not be quite as interesting or gripping for those without those pieces of knowledge – but that’s the way it goes with anything of quality right? I don’t buy that something “universally appealing” can be as deep and nuanced as something that isn’t.  Also, as a counter, I am almost completely unfamiliar with the vocabulary of 80s rap & hip-hop, yet didn’t feel put off in the least by the references there.  I’m sure those provided extra depth to the familiar just like the geek drops did for me.  I’d bet that for someone familiar with both, the book will be an even richer read.

Coates does a brilliant job of making the world of his childhood in Baltimore in the 80s accessible and engaging.  This coming from a white dude who grew up about 3 years behind him, but world away in a tiny BFE extra-white California town.  As the father of two black sons, I may be more interested than your “average white dude” (is that the guy that keeps “Van Fucking Halen” in business?), but I don’t think that counts for much – this is just good writing, plain and simple.  It doesn’t matter if it’s the djembe or the guitar, Coates captures the bones of the real in the sense of being outside that I felt as a young male, the exultation that comes with belonging to something (even if you don’t excel), the confusion that comes with the shifting social standards of aging, and the desire to do/be something/one of purpose/value and hangs the flesh of his youth on it all, bloody side out.

Complaints?  I wish it were longer.  It’s a small book, and went by too fast.  But, I think it ended where it had to, based on the scope and purpose of the work.  I just wanted more.

The Amazon author things still trips me out a bit – the fact that the authors sometimes post there and even occasionally leave interesting videos/interviews.  Here’s TNC talking about the book, and his life.

FOUR STARS

I hope he pursues more long form writing (and I understand he’s working on something now…).  I hope he goes for fiction next… especially fantasy.  Asphalt elementals?   HELL YES.

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This entry was posted by onefinemess on Wednesday, September 15th, 2010 at 11:23 am and is filed under Book Review, Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.