The Beautiful Struggle

How does Coates characterize his brother Big Bill? What is the relationship between them? 

Coates refers to the “Knowledge” throughout the book. What does he mean by this term? What is his personal relationship to it? What is his brother Big Bill’s relationship to it?

Coates refers to “Consciousness” throughout the book. What does he mean by this term? What is his personal relationship to it? What is his father’s relationship to it? 

In what ways does Coates create a specific language within his book? How does this bring in or alienate the reader? What does this say about other forms of group-specific cultural knowledge? 

What does rap music represent for Coates and his brother throughout the book? 

Describe Coates’s relationship to the djembe drum. What larger social and historical meaning does the djembe carry to Coates and his NationHouse community? 

How does geography relate to Coates’s coming of age experiences? What role do the various houses he lives in play to support his story? 

“The beautiful struggle” as a phrase could describe the broader plight of African Americans in the United States. How does Coates relate his personal story to this broader experience? How does he define black liberation?