In 2019 I borrowed a copy of Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates from my local library. As soon as I read the first few pages, I knew this was a book I needed to own, so I bought a copy from a bookstore and finished reading it in two days.

Between the World and Me is Coates’ letter to his young son. It’s his attempt to help his son Samori, and perhaps all of us, understand our place in the world. The letter is filled with personal experiences and memories, and there is one in particular that stayed with me. In the second part of the book, on page 113, Coates describes a memory of taking his son to work with him when he was thirteen. He was going to see the mother of a dead Black boy, who was killed by a White man because he refused to turn his music down. The mother of the boy turned to Coates’ son and said:

“You exist. You matter. You have value. You have every right to wear your hoodie, to play your music as loud as you want. You have every right to be you. And no one should deter you from being you. You have to be you. And you can never be afraid to be you.”

I absolutely love the way this book is written. Coates’ narrative simply flows and the stories are very relatable. I found myself reflecting on my own experiences as a Black woman, both positive and negative. It’s a book I would pass on to my own son, if I had one.