Writing and rewriting is the attempt to communicate not just a truth but the ecstasy of truth. It is not enough for me to convince the reader of my argument; I want them to feel that same private joy that I feel alone.
Part III: Bearing The Flaming Cross page 39 of 60, The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Table of Contents
Preamble
Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of those writers where I great pleasure from the style of his writing itself. A friend pointed out that Coates has a poetic style and I think that is the closest description I have heard of it. The way his writing style flows feels just right. I fell in love with his writing when I read Between the World and Me earlier this year. Quite possibly one of the best works of non-fiction I have ever read.
So when I saw that Coates had another book coming out this year, I immediately hit the preorder button on it. The book came out in October and I got around to reading it in December. And like the previous book of his that I read I continue to be impressed by the way he conveys the topic he is writing about.
An Aside About Kamasi Washington
While I was reading this book, I was listening to the discovery of one Kamasi Washington, going back to his 2015 album aptly titled The Epic which I now consider one of my most favourite works of jazz.
The last track of that album is called The Message which as you will note is the title of this book I am reviewing. I don’t know if Coates is making a reference to that particular Kamasi Washington track. It is entirely possible that Ta-Nehisi Coates is a Kamasi Washington fan.
Or it is sheer coincidence. I choose to believe the former. The Epic is my background music listening recommendation for this book. It is rare that I can match up a work of music with a work of writing so well but in this case, the two go together like peanut butter and jelly.
The Review
As with his last book, this is a work of non-fiction separated into a series of three long essays about separate topics that intertwine in some fashion or other. All three of these essays stirred strong emotion in me.
The first is about Coates’ visit to his ancestral homeland of Dakar, Senegal. I found the way that Coates reckons with the contradictions between the mythical nature of Afrocentrism and the day-to-day reality of life in a country in the African continent quite striking. Mythical castles come crashing down after hit after hit from the tsunami of reality.
The second essay is about Coates’ visit to Columbia, South Carolina and a teacher fighting the good fight against right wing goons at a school board meeting screaming nonsense about typical right wing talking points like “DEI” and “critical race theory”. I found myself laughing at the absurdist reality of what these absolutely bonkers people are saying. I was also heartened to see this teacher and a community of mostly white supporters who were transformed by the so-called “racial reckoning” of 2020.
The last and the longest of these essays is about Coates’ visit to Palestine, it bears a striking similarity to the themes of the first essay: Significant contradictions between what a large segment of the mainstream press has pushed as their narratives versus the realities of what happens in Palestine. This essay was both profoundly enlightening and heartbreaking. I cried as older Palestinians described the history and nature of their dispossession. I cried some more as the young raised in a apartheid environment know only the harsh realities that the Israeli state have imposed upon them.
One of the most important themes running through all three of these essays is the power of the narrative and more significantly, the importance of writing and the writer. Coates’ refers to The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones as an example of such a powerful piece of writing that upended accepted nationalist myths about the foundations of the United States of America.
I have read The 1619 Project and I agree that it is indeed a outstanding work of anti-nationalism that should be read by everyone who considers themselves an anti-racist and anti-imperialist. Coates stresses the role that writers like himself play in shaping and defining what becomes widely accepted narrative and I found myself quite emotional about the power of writing.
In fact the nationalist and imperialist status quo is afraid of writers like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Nikole Hannah-Jones for that reason. A good writer can change minds like nothing else can. A book like Between the World and Me or The 1619 Project can open people’s minds and break the hold nationalist and imperialist propaganda can have. And once people’s minds are open, they don’t tend to close back up. That is a scary thing indeed for the nationalist goons and their running dogs.
Ta-Nehisi Coates continues to be an inspiration for me as a writer. I found myself wanting to continue to practice the craft and keep getting better as a writer. Reading The Message made me want to write more and that is the highest of praises I can sing about any book.
I think everyone should read The Message, Between the World and Me and The 1619 Project. Especially if you are an American who currently is in a state of despair and has fallen into a deep nihilism. Reading such works will enlighten you and provide a foundation upon which to build further revolutionary sentiment on.
Further Reading
In a blog post for his blog, Coates talks about the various books he read as part of his research for the final essay in this book, I have a read one of these but there are many I haven’t read. I think this blog post is a good jumping off point if you read this book and want to read more about Palestine and Zionism.
The one book that he mentions that I have already read is the The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi and it is my strong recommendation as further reading after having read The Message. Reading this book also served as a strong reminder that I have a copy of Edward Said’s The Question of Palestine sitting on my desk that I have yet to read. Maybe that’s next.
That is all from me. Until next time comrades.
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