The Beautiful Struggle (Adapted for Young Adults)

This is an amazing memoir from acclaimed writer, Ta-Nehisi Coates. It details his struggles in the grimy neighborhood of Baltimore where gangs of bullies were around every corner. He survived by cultivating his own group of protectors and developing a street persona that would repel any aggression. This struggle on the street is a parallel story to that of his home life with a father who valued forgotten black history. The father was a former Black Panther who archived stories of black history and heroism. He wanted his sons to be steeped in that culture. Coates’ older brother was a street fighter who waded through the drugs and easy living which seem so tempting in that environment. Coates navigated the prideful legacy of his father with the harsh reality of his fearful environment. He found his salvation in hip hop which voiced the anger and confusion of the two worlds. This is a wonderful story about the faith and love of fathers for sons and the brutal legacy of racism that continues to oppress black families.