Analysis coates begins the book in the style of a letter addressed to his son samori he explains that he was recently on a talk show where the host asked him what it meant to lose my body coates feels that there is an enormous gulf between the hosts world and the world for which i had been summoned to speak. Between the world and me is a letter written in three parts coates writes directly to his son samori coates is forty years old and samori is fifteen the text is not set up as a traditional narrative rather it traces coates thoughts and feelings throughout his life so far it is loosely chronological though sometimes interrupted with anecdotes out of chronological order the plot has less to do with specific events and more to do with the way coates thoughts and opinions change . He recalls an incident at a movie theatre on the upper west side during which a white woman manhandles samori coates speaks harshly to her and another white man intervenes telling coates i could have you arrested coates interprets this as a deliberate reminder of white peoples power over black bodies he recalls another episode when he takes ten year old samori and his cousin to visit historical sites from the civil war coates feels a responsibility to teach his son the truth . Title between the world and me by ta nehisi coates key summary breakdown and analysis author mediactsnetorg doreen eichel 2020 10 17 14 49 56. Between the world and me is ta nehisi coates letter to his son samori through which he describes his struggle to live as a black man in america explore a character analysis of ta nehisi coates plot summary and important quotes