In August, the celebrated writer Ta-Nehisi Coates published a new column in Vanity Fair. It was his first piece for the magazine in four years, and his first anywhere in a very long time. In every sense, it marked his return: his fourth nonfiction book, The Message, has arrived, and the media establishment that Coates is both wary of but unquestionably belongs to is ready to make him a star again. Coates was the subject of a flattering cover profile in New York Magazine, one of the last glossies with tangible clout. Not long after, he found the national spotlight again after Tony Dokoupil, a CBS anchor, furiously questioned him over his lack of allegiance to Zionism during a TV appearance promoting The Message. Coates held his ground, insisting the violence and forced segregation the Palestinians endure in the occupied territories is immoral. Dokoupil sounded like he was running Miriam Adelson’s press shop. In a surprise move, CBS executives rebuked Dokoupil.
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