In a three-part letter to his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates writes of his experience as a black man who grew up in America. He recognizes that although the times have changed (the election of the Barrack Obama), some things, most things, remain the same.

And he tells it like it is. There’s certainly a double standard in society, and, unfortunately, people still judge you by the color of your skin. While this certainly needs to change, this is a fact that people live with.

Between the World and Me was written beautifully. I could visualize the scenes Coates described, and I empathized with him. Minorities have to keep their guard up all the time, even when they are doing nothing wrong, and it is difficult to tell someone who believes that because there have been some progressive movements in history, things are truly different now.

But I didn’t need to read a 150-page book to get the point. I found myself glossing over some pages—what a waste because the writing was beautiful. I felt like an article would have had a similar if not stronger effect on audiences.

Verdict: It’s something I’d recommend people to read, but it’s also not something I need on my shelf. I’m happy to lend my copy out.