At The Mecca (Howard University): “I first witnessed this power out on the Yard, that communal green space in the center of campus where the students gathered and I saw everything I knew of my black self multiplied into seemingly endless variations.” (p. 40)

Of Paris: “It had never occurred to me that giant doors could exist, could be so common in one part of the world and totally absent in another (p. 119)

Of New York: “I had never seen so much life. And I had never imaged that such life could exist in so much variety. It was everyone’s particular Mecca, packed into one singular city” (p. 93).

Coates speaks of the hardness he knew as a child growing up in inner city Baltimore — the failing schools, the violence of the streets, parental love expressed through corporal punishment, the fear (which continues in him still), a lack of imagination for his future, and little hope of making it out unscathed. He also speaks again and again of experiences that showed him other worlds — worlds that he discovered through his hunger for books, his transformational encounters with the richness of black culture at The Mecca, through love and parenthood and journalism, and living in his adopted cities, New York and Paris. Through these experiences, Coates’ world expands, he renegotiates his identity, and finds his voice.

A time where my life was transformed was my trip to San Diego with my friends/teammates. During the trip I learned to grow up as an adult because I had to make sure I had dinner and food and take care of myself. It was transformative because since there was no parents we didnt have anyone to rely on except each other. My teammates and I supported each other and made sure we were all okay. I learned that when my parents travel with us that it takes a lot of money and effort to make sure that their kids are okay. I also learned that living by yourself can be scary but fun because you make many memories that will last a life time.