Pick of the Week- Between the World and Me

is Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This thought provoking book is and essential read to understand racism in the United States today. Coates won the non-fiction National Book Award last year for this work. Framed as a letter to his teenage son, it is a powerful and informative read that discusses Coates' experience growing up in Baltimore, his education at Howard University, and his understanding of what it means to be black in America. One of the most powerful stories is that of Prince Carmen Jones, a man killed by the Prince Georges County police in 2000. Because many deaths at the hands of police officers have been in the news over the past few years, some may think this is a recent phenomenon. Coates' visceral telling of Jones' story will disabuse you of that notion. Reading this book will show you an important perspective on racism in the United States.