Overview – This book was one of the highlights of my 2017. I loved this title, and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I really enjoyed reading this book’s layout, pace, and subject matter the author captivated me from the first page. The book catalogs the eight years when Barack Obama was the president of the United States and its effect on America. Coates brings up the party at the White House in Obama’s last year as president to juxtapose the fulfilment of 8 years of a black president and leaving the white house looking metaphorically different forever. The party was filled with black celebrities, writers and select members of the press to which the author was on the list. Coates was brought to tears seeing the sea of black excellence in the room. When the clock struck midnight, fried chicken was brought from the back and in the White House a place built in racism, which houses the blood of the civil war, and is in between prosperity and freedom while enabling the status quo; these black folks laughed, ate fried chicken, and drank until it was time to leave. The author brings up many stories such as these and references historical points to bring an illumination to the impact of having a black president. And the black president’s effect on community, consciousness, and country. The author speaks on the civil war, redlining and the emergence of Donald Trump from the backlash of having a black president. This is a great read informative and entertaining.
Theme – Documents the 8 years of the first black president and how it impacted many different communities while incorporating the history of America.
Biggest takeaway – The author being a journalist at the time wrote an editorial about Barack which was scathing. The article was about how Obama had not helped black people directly among other things pertaining to the black community. At a press briefing the author was there to ask questions and though he was the only black man there Barack did not call on him. After this Coates requested to meet with Barack for a quote which the president accepted by the surprise of Coates (because of the article). Once Barack arrived, he became immediately contentious much again to the surprise of Coates. Barack instructing his handlers outside so he could continue the heated diatribe with no interruption. Coates attempted to make various points and stand by his article, but in the book admits Barack was right about his administration’s approach to the shortcomings Coates pointed out. After the meeting with Coates, Barack met with legislators about healthcare, and some other issues which gave some insight to the broadness of the seat of the Presidency and showed how one sided Coates had looked at the symbol of a black president. I really like this story because it shows introspection also gives a glimpse of what Barack had to deal with daily as the President of the United States.
Overall Satisfaction – 9.8/10 – Best book of 2017 and probably the best regarding the presidency of Barack Obama (excluding the president’s book). This was a phenomenal read by a great writer!
Comments on the Author – I had not known anything about Ta-Nehisi Coates before reading this book. He was on all the late shows with Stephen Colbert and Fallon as the book was being awarded and recognized but it had not dawned on me to pick it up. What led me to ultimately pick up the book was in my research of Bill Cosby. I had always disliked Bill since the 7th grade when my mother, aunt and grandma sent an article around to the boys of the family where Bill ran us black men into the ground at an NAACP event. This upset me because black men have such an uphill battle to deal with across the board in America and to have someone so beloved denigrate you and call us thugs and tell us to pull our pants up made me feel like he was not on our team. When my mom gave me the article to read I remember reading the first page then some in the middle then throwing the article away in disgust. By the time I was 27 years old Bill was being led to a trial for somethings he wished stayed in the bedroom, he ultimately would be convicted. Dr. Michael Eric Dyson spoke about a book he wrote on a Breakfast Club interview called “Is Bill Cosby Right? Or Has the Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind?” and I immediately felt I wasn’t alone with my feelings toward Bill. I quickly looked up the title and found the book and added it to my amazon cart. Feeling as I often do “there is nothing new under the sun” I looked up books from black writers talking about Bill Cosby and up popped “We were eight years in Power” and because this book had already sparked my interest for other reasons, I purchased it instead of the Michael Eric Dyson’s title. As I read the book found myself smiling as the author made references to the Nation of Islam, Riots of LA, how Neo soul eases the mind and gives life to long drives, along with stories of housing, disproportionate policing, and the black presidency. The richness of the writing coupled with the writer validating repeatedly he is a black man with black ideas and a black centric lifestyle proved to me he is indeed a much-needed voice for our time and is truly gifted in his skill of penmanship.
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