Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates's memoir, The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood, recounts growing up in a rough section of Baltimore, Maryland, as the son of a former Black Panther. By his own account, Coates was a daydreamer perplexed by his father's constant battle to instill a sense of pride and street-smarts into his sons. "He had his faults," Coates told writer Craig Wilson in USA Today, "but I wanted people to know my father in full. I think he has a great story."

Coates has had a varied career as an author, journalist, and comic book writer. He has served as a national correspondent for the Atlantic and written Black Panther comics for Marvel Comics....