Jack Hamilton's Review : Lexie Frost, Meeghan Cronin, Victoria Nemeth, Chris Brooks, Yujie Feng, Nick Moscardelli, Ashley Heacock

Context: Context in a review is to give background information to help the reader understand what the reviewer is reviewing.  In Hamilton’s review, context is given about Coates as an author, and his previous writing in the Atlantic.  He also gives context about Between the World and Me being an homage to James Baldwin’s, The Fire Next Time. In addition, the review gives background information on his use of The Dream, “The Dream, writes Coates, “is perfect houses with nice lawns. … The Dream smells like peppermint but tastes like strawberry shortcake. And for so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream, to fold my country over my head like a blanket. But this has never been an option because the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies.”  Hamilton also demonstrates how important Coates’s use of the body is to his book and his message, and provides background information about the format Coates used for his book as a letter to his son, Samori.  Context is also given by Hamilton on Coates’s views on race including, “Race is the child of racism, not the father.” 

Assessment: Hamilton believes Coates is an astounding author and that his work on Between the World and Me is important to talk about. He is an avid supporter of the messages within the memoir and feels as though the topics remain relevant even years after its publication and initial distribution. Hamilton has a strong opinion on keeping Coates’ memoir relevant and enforces its importance in American culture.

Description: Throughout Hamilton’s review he offers a detailed description of Coates’s work. He uses it hand in hand with his assessment of  Between the world and me. He not only describes the work but also who Coates is as a writer and what Coates has written about in the past. This is a crucial part of the description aspects of reviews because it aids in context.  Hamilton describes Between The World and Me in both his own words and with quotes which allows the reader to get a description with some sense of Coates’s voice. When writing a review it is imperative that there is an accurate and unbiased description of the work and the author in order for there to be an opinionated assessment. This is the case in Hamilton’s review and it allows his assessment to be emphasized and validated.a

Reviewer’s goals:

Overall, the author’s intentions with the review are to communicate his opinions and experiences of the book through a very positive lens. He spends a large portion of the review explaining how significant Ta-Nehisi Coates’ message is to present and future Americans. He also compares Coates’ Between the World and Me to many different sources to further analyze his work, including some of Coates’ previous books and creations. In the more descriptive sections of the book, Hamilton highlights how much of it is written in a familial focus, especially considering that it is a memoir written as a letter addressed to Coates’ son.