...The goal is to haunt – to have them think about your words before bed, see them manifest in their dreams, tell their partner about them the next morning…”

It is not often that you come across modern prose that grips you, engages in difficult conversations and forces you to challenge your preconceived notions.

What makes all this even more infuriating is that it wasn’t me who discovered this author – it was my 23-year-old niece, Laila. Ta-Nehisi Coates. I furrowed my brow – clearly another typo – as I reviewed Laila’s grad school application essay. She looked at me incredulously.

“I can’t believe you don’t know this guy! He’s the best writer out there. You’re too old,” said Laila, in an exasperating American accent.

Not one to take criticism lightly, I was nevertheless intrigued and impressed to learn that Coates had been a writer for The Atlantic magazine for nearly ten years. The son of radical Black parents, who dared to stand up and raise their voices against the continued deprivation of Black America, grew up in Baltimore, in a neighbourhood wracked by violence. Yet, he was gifted – gifted with the power of words, honed in his father’s library. His father, an ex-Black Panther, instilled in him a love for reading and knowledge. He also gave him the unusual name after the ancient Nubian Kingdom in Africa.

Starting at The Atlantic, Coates wrote a very popular and controversial essay, The Case for Reparations. The essay elicited strong responses from both supporters and detractors but propelled young Coates to prominence as a leading American writer – a tag he wore with aplomb as he went from strength to strength. What followed was a series of books, both fiction and nonfiction, including an interesting foray into comic books.

Coates highlighted how America has yet to reckon with some dark aspects of its history and how these unresolved issues continue to marginalise Black communities.

This year, Ta-Nehisi Coates has been thrust into the spotlight with his powerhouse of a book, The Message. The book comprises four long-form essays, taking readers on his journey of self-discovery while highlighting visceral truths. It begins with his thoughts on Black America and continues with his journey to Senegal, where he comes face-to-face with the remnants of slavery – an experience his ancestors endured 400 years ago.

One might have accused Ta-Nehisi Coates of being a bit of a one-trick pony, with his obsessive focus on Black America. In some ways, it felt as though he was limiting his immense talent by focusing on just one topic. Great writers can look at a broad range of subjects and then demonstrate mastery to weave these ideas together through their writing. In The Message, he moves beyond that singular focus in the most profound and beautiful way – by linking his core theme to the experiences of travesty and injustice in other parts of the world. This evolution in his writing showcases his ability to broaden the scope of his narrative without losing the emotional depth and critique that define his work.

His final essay in the book – on Palestine – has commanded public attention. Coates has been interviewed across US TV networks and popular podcasts, often challenged on his views but remaining steadfast. Articulate in both writing and speech, he maintains a calm and composed demeanour as he fends off, in most cases, unwarranted attacks.

In his essay on Palestine, Coates recounts his time spent with both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians during the Palestinian Literary Festival. There, he gained firsthand experience, which he beautifully captures in his prose. He draws parallels between the oppression faced by Palestinians and the experience of Black Americans throughout history and into modern times. Coates lays bare the ugly truths of apartheid, which much of the Western media tends to obscure. He pulls no punches in describing the plight of the average Palestinian and the injustices they endure. He recounts his interactions with Palestinians in the Holy Land, his conversations with Jewish people and the narratives constructed to justify oppression – narratives he deconstructs with piercing clarity, “... But passport stamps and wide vocabularies are neither wisdom nor morality. As it happens, you can see the world and still never see the people in it...” He also ties these lessons from Palestine to his encounters with Palestinian Americans in the US.

In many ways, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s writings about his travels – his reflections on what he saw, felt and heard – remind me of VS Naipaul. Despite the elegant prose, I found Naipaul’s work, particularly his travels in the Islamic lands, to be a bit confrontational. Maybe I am sensitive to it due to my Islamic background, and criticism is often difficult to handle. Ta-Nehisi’s writing comes from a place of love. He is brutal in his assessment of Israel, yet I can sense his empathy for the pain of the Jewish people and the injustices they have endured, especially during the Holocaust. However, he does not allow one injustice to justify another, “...I want to tell you that your oppression will not save you, that being a victim will not enlighten you, that it can just as easily deceive you...”

Ta-Nehisi Coates understands that, as a writer of his profile, he is offering a platform to Palestinians that they rarely have access to. He recognises that he is delving into an exceptionally sensitive topic and approaches it with the utmost care, both in his perspective and in his choice of words.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a breath of fresh air in an era of vitriol, double standards and obfuscation. His clear narrative uncovers the origins of ugly truths and emphasises the importance of standing up for what is right, despite the odds. A beautifully written book, The Message will be a classic. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, this man builds a body of work worthy of a Nobel Prize in Literature.

The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a master craftsman’s work.

The Message

Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Publisher: Penguin Books, 2025

Pages: 256, Hardback

Price: Rs 4,315

The reviewer is a finance professional based in Dubai. He tweets @travelutionary1