The Beautiful Struggle Summary
Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Beautiful Struggle Overview

Ta-Nehisi Coates and his brother, Big Bill, were two African-American boys living on the fringe in West Baltimore who could easily have succumbed to the temptations of the street. In the era when crack was queen and hip-hop was king, Paul Coates their strict and visionary father was determined that his sons would rise above the black cliché. He worked at the esteemed Howard University so that his kids could attend the university tuition-free. Although Ta-Nehisi and Big Bill didn’t initially appreciate their father’s strident ways, in the end they both recognized the impact he had on their lives when they emerged from boys to men and soared above all expectations.