Editor-in-Chief of HuffPost Lydia Polgreen interviews journalist and novelist Ta-Nehisi Coates on the enduring legacy of slavery in the US and the inspiration for his new book, The Water Dancer.

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One of America’s most prolific writers on race and culture, Ta-Nehisi Coates just debuted his first novel, The Water Dancer. Already #1 on the NYT Best-seller list, The Water Dancer follows the life of a young boy who was born into slavery. Earlier this year, Coates lobbied congress on the case for reparations. In 2015 he won the National Book Award for Nonfiction and received a ""Genius Grant"" from the MacArthur Foundation. He has also authored Black Panther graphic novel series.