THE WATER DANCER by Ta-Nehisi Coates

THE WATER DANCER follows the surreal story of Hiram Walker, an enslaved mixed-race son of a Black mother and white plantation owner. After his mother is sold in his youth, Hiram discovers the mysterious gifts that she passed on to him: a photographic memory and the ability to transport himself and others through “conduction.” 

Following a near death experience, he begins planning a daring escape and joins the underground railroad, enlisted in the war between slavers and the enslaved. As he comes of age, he discovers just how powerful he is when he combines the memory of his ancestors and the gifts he’s inherited from them. 

The Water Dancer is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first work of fiction, and he makes the transition beautifully from the essays and nonfiction that have already influenced so many. This is the second book from Coates that I’ve recommended—because he’s one of the most important Black thinkers of our generation, and he’s opened my eyes with every new book he’s released.

- Recommended by Stephen