Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me is one of the many books that have gotten renewed attention in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Coates’ book, which is written as a letter to his young son about the author’s own experiences growing up in Baltimore and coming to grips with the extent of systemic racism in America, is powerful, painful and poetic. It was adapted into a stage play directed by Kamilah Forbes and now, the same team will be adapting it for HBO. The special will be a mix of archival footage, animation and documentary-style videography.
“I’ve been working with Kamilah almost as long as I’ve been a writer. I can think of no one better to put Between the World and Me on screen and no better home for it than HBO,” Coates said in a statement.
HBO Programming president Casey Bloys agreed, saying “Ta-Nehisi’s book is a modern literary classic that provides an essential message for our times. We are tremendously proud to bring this incredibly important event to our audiences.”
There’s no release date yet but the book’s evergreen relevance is an assurance that whenever it does land, it’ll find a timely audience. Even so, it’s well worth your time to pick up a copy and read it before the special lands.