When I first realized this I was a bit disappointed, but I signed up for a review copy, and because I had not finished it yet, I picked up the audiobook to finish it.

Eight Years in Power is not a new book of non-fiction, but a repackaging of his Atlantic essays. I have gone back and read some of his earlier work and very much appreciated his Between the World and Me. I have been reading most of what he has written since I first ran across his writing with the Reparations article in the Atlantic. Repackaged Atlantic Articles, but worth reading All I know is I'm sure as hell listening to a preview first. Here's hoping the next one finally does TNC's generational works justice. This isn't a pity party I'm gonna be fine, it's just a real letdown. I was incredibly hyped for this, and tbh $20 is a lot for me. Denzel should be reading your shit, not some dude who, while adequate, is clearly a budget option with the time he was given and the quality of the production. Especially your prose! You're not about to let your scripts get the B movie treatment, so why would you do so for your singular, precious-few works of literature? Go big or go home on the next one. A great audiobook can bring a text *alive* in a beautiful way. From everything I can tell this is nothing but an afterthought. Jesse Williams wasn't free? That dude clearly is a fan. Don't waste your money, just buy the text. Unfortunately for us, Coates seems completely unconcerned. I've read many of these essays already, and the astounding gravity of these works deserves an equally astounding performance. What a disappointment, what a lost opportunity. It sounds like he's reading the works for the first time. What in the what? Even if he had done the minimal effort of learning how to pronounce the author's name, it is clear from the jump he has done no homework. THE NARRATOR DOESN'T EVEN PRONOUNCE HIS NAME CORRECTLY. Not to mention, who tf recorded this? The cuts are sloppy as hell, the punches are jarringly clear and unnatural. The narrator is trying to hard, his voice an exaggerated gravel. The narrator has no understanding of the flow of Coates's prose, no measurement or care is taken to the carefully assembled sentences.

The only possible conclusion I can draw, merely five minutes in, is that Ta-Nehisi Coates does not give a single shit about this audiobook.

We were eight years in power