We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

In these â€œurgently relevant essays,â€* the National Book Awardâ€“winning author of Between the World and Me â€œreflects on race, Barack Obamaâ€™s presidency and its jarring aftermathâ€*â€”including the election of Donald Trump.

New York Times BestsellerÂ â€¢ Finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times â€¢ USA Today â€¢ Time â€¢ Los Angeles Times â€¢ San Francisco Chronicle â€¢ Essence â€¢ O: The Oprah Magazine â€¢ The Week â€¢ Kirkus Reviews

*Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

â€œWe were eight years in powerâ€ was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. In this sweeping collection of new and selected essays, Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is Americaâ€™s â€œfirst white president.â€

But the story of these present-day eight years is not just about presidential politics. This book also examines the new voices, ideas, and movements for justice that emerged over this periodâ€”and the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nationâ€™s old and unreconciled history. Coates powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from his intimate and revealing perspectiveâ€”the point of view of a young writer who begins the journey in an unemployment office in Harlem and ends it in the Oval Office, interviewing a president.

We Were Eight Years in Power features Coatesâ€™s iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including â€œFear of a Black President,â€ â€œThe Case for Reparations,â€ and â€œThe Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,â€ along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coatesâ€™s own experiences, observations, and intellectual development, capped by a bracingly original assessment of the election that fully illuminated the tragedy of the Obama era. We Were Eight Years in Power is a vital account of modern America, from one of the definitive voices of this historic moment.

â€œEssential . . . Coatesâ€™s probing essays about race, politics, and history became necessary ballast for this nationâ€™s gravity-defying moment.â€â€”The Boston GlobeÂ
Country USA
Brand One World
Manufacturer One World
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 26604884
Color White
ReleaseDate 2017-10-03
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780399590566

Country	USA
Brand	One World
Manufacturer	One World
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	26604884
Color	White
ReleaseDate	2017-10-03
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780399590566

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

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