“And the race aspect is not gone from this,” Coates said. “To see a black dude in a room of the smartest white people and just be the smartest dude in the room — it just puts into context all the stuff about ‘Let me see his grades.’ ”
Hell, I barely trust anyone that considers themselves to be "the smartest person in the room" regardless of their skin color. Bravado and puffery are really disingenuous traits, in my experience.
I have wanted to pick this book up, though. Coates seems like someone that can finally articulate what they're talking about with grace and verisimilitude without talking down to his audience, and that might be because this book was written for his son to understand some of the truth behind race relations.
“And the race aspect is not gone from this,” Coates said. “To see a black dude in a room of the smartest white people and just be the smartest dude in the room — it just puts into context all the stuff about ‘Let me see his grades.’ ”
Smart is over rated, in any room.
Hell, I barely trust anyone that considers themselves to be "the smartest person in the room" regardless of their skin color. Bravado and puffery are really disingenuous traits, in my experience.
I have wanted to pick this book up, though. Coates seems like someone that can finally articulate what they're talking about with grace and verisimilitude without talking down to his audience, and that might be because this book was written for his son to understand some of the truth behind race relations.