We Were Eight Years in Power: 'One of the foremost essayists on race in the West' Nikesh Shukla, author of The Good Immigrant Review Coates' always sharp commentary is particularly insightful as each day brings a new upset to the cultural and political landscape laid during the term of the nation's first black president. [A] crucial voice in the public discussion of race and equality, and readers will be eager for his take on where we stand now and why (Booklist)It's this timeless timeliness--reminiscent of the work of George Orwell and James Baldwin--that makes Coates worth reading again and again (Publishers Weekly)Fiercely passionate, intelligent and clear-eyed (Newsday)Across his oeuvre, Coates' prose style and literary prowess are hip-hop sharpened: he believes in the art of dexterous reference, potent, lyrical critique and political storytelling (Baltimore Sun)Coates's probing essays about race, politics, and history became necessary ballast for this nation's gravity-defying moment... Essential (The Boston Globe)Biting cultural and political analysis from the award-winning journalist . . . His conclusions are disquieting, his writing passionate, his tenor often angry.... Emotionally charged, deftly crafted, and urgently relevant essays" (Kirkus)Powerfully charged (GQ)[R]aw and hard to read. You'll never forget his point of view, nor should you (Glamour)Thus, We Were Eight Years in Power serves as a clarion call for vigilance about the possible erosion of African-American advances presumed sacrosanct. Consider these riveting, well-reasoned ruminations of the most-prodigious black visionary around a must-read indeed (The Mississippi Link) 				    	 					 From the Inside Flap In this essential follow-up to Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates bears witness to the extraordinary eight-year period in American history which began with the unprecedented election of a black president, Barack Obama, and ended, following a vicious backlash, with the election of the man Coates argues is America's 'first white president'. We Were Eight Years in Power powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from an intimate and revealing perspective: the point of view of a young writer who begins his journey in an unemployment office in Harlem and ends it in the Oval office, interviewing a president. The story of these eight years reaches far beyond presidential politics. It is the story of the new voices, ideas and movements that emerged over this period - and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of America's old and unreconciled history of slavery and white supremacy.Seamlessly combining history, memoir, argument and reportage, We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital, eloquent and impassioned account of modern America from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.              See all Product description