We were eight years in power : an American tragedy

Resource Information

The work We were eight years in power : an American tragedy represents a distinct intellectual or artistic creation found in Grosse Pointe Public Library. This resource is a combination of several types including: Work, Language Material, Books.

Label

We were eight years in power : an American tragedy

Title remainder

an American tragedy

Statement of responsibility

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Title variation

American tragedy

Creator

• Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Author

• Coates, Ta-Nehisi

Subject

• Obama, Barack
• POLITICAL SCIENCE / American Government / Executive Branch
• SOCIAL SCIENCE / Discrimination & Race Relations
• African Americans -- Social conditions -- 21st century
• United States -- Race relations
• United States -- Social conditions -- 21st century
• United States -- Politics and government -- 2009-2017
• BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs

Language

eng

Summary

ђ́جWe were eight years in powerђ́ح 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 Americaђ́ةs ђ́جfirst white president.ђ́ح 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 periodђ́ؤand the effects of the persistent, haunting shadow of our nationђ́ةs old and unreconciled history. Coates powerfully examines the events of the Obama era from his intimate and revealing perspectiveђ́ؤthe 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 Coatesђ́ةs iconic essays first published in The Atlantic, including ђ́جFear of a Black President,ђ́ح ђ́جThe Case for Reparations,ђ́ح and ђ́جThe Black Family in the Age of Mass Incarceration,ђ́ح along with eight fresh essays that revisit each year of the Obama administration through Coatesђ́ةs 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

Biography type

contains biographical information

Dewey number

973.932

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

no index present

Literary form

non fiction

Target audience

adult