The University of Wisconsin–Madison invites us to participate in its common book program for 2025-2026, Go Big Read. Campus and community are invited to participate by nominating books, reading them, and taking part in campus and community discussions and events.

We’d like to recommend The Message by Ta Nehisi Coates as a way to keep Palestine front and center in the conversation. You can help by submitting it to Go Big Read before November 13, 2024:

1. Go to the Go Big Read website.
2. Fill out the brief form; you can copy and edit the text below as needed:

Book Title: The Message

Book Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Short description of book

“Ta-Nehisi Coates originally set out to write a book about writing, in the tradition of Orwell’s classic “Politics and the English Language,” but found himself grappling with deeper questions about how our stories—our reporting and imaginative narratives and mythmaking—expose and distort our realities.” (from ta-nehisicoates.com/books/the-message/)

How does the book meet the selection criteria? 

The Message offers a profound opportunity for intellectual exploration and community engagement at UW-Madison. Through its three interwoven essays, the book challenges readers to confront how narratives—whether historical, cultural, or political—shape our perceptions of reality, sometimes distorting the truth and perpetuating injustice. Coates’ journey from Senegal to the American South, and finally to Palestine offers concrete examples of how myths of nationalism and identity can obscure the complexities of human experience.

Bringing this book to campus would spark interdisciplinary conversations in fields like history, political science, African American studies, and international relations, while also engaging students in current debates on book banning, historical reckoning, and global justice. The book’s depth and relevance provide a foundation for robust discussions on how storytelling shapes both personal and collective identity, offering opportunities for academic integration across programs. Coates’ call to embrace hard truths instead of comforting myths would resonate deeply with students and faculty, encouraging not only reflection but action in a world still grappling with these tensions. This selection would also lend itself to dynamic programming, from speaker events and panels to workshops on media literacy and the power of narrative.

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