This book is a collection of essays, one from every year of the Obama presidency, preceded by Coates's commentary. It ends with a devastating epilogue on Trump's presidency called "The First White President." In my opinion, the best part is Chapter 6, "The Case for Reparations," the type of essay that can fundamentally change the way you understand America. You can read this in the Atlantic right now: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/ All of the essays here were originally published in the Atlantic, actually. The whole book is fairly dense, but not overly academic. Because the bulk of the book was published individually beforehand, it's somewhat repetitive at times. I think this is a must-read for all Americans, but the format and denseness, at times, may not be for everyone, and lends itself to reading one chapter at a time rather than taking all the chapters together. I am looking forward to reading more of his books in 2020.