Questions to Ponder
- How does the approach of Coates’ book—i.e., the fact that it is in the form of a letter
written to his son—affect its meaning and interpretation? What other forms might
it have taken, and with what different results for the reader(s)?
- Do Coates’ points resonate with you? Why or why not? In what ways do his arguments
challenge or extend recent media representations of social relations in the United States?
- What have been the formative experiences of your own adolescence so far? Have they been connected to race? gender? class? religion? sexual orientation? something else?