A colony in a nation is a highly original analysis of americas arbitrary and erratic criminal justice system indeed by hayess lights the system is not erratic at all it treats one group of americans as citizens and another as the colonized this is an essential and groundbreaking text in the effort to understand how american criminal justice went so badly awry ta nehisi coates . New york times best selling author and emmy award winning news anchor chris hayes argues that there are really two americas a colony and a nation. A colony in a nation by chris hayes a colony in a nation is an interesting book on social justice. A colony in a nation by chris hayes is a work of nonfiction about racial inequalities in the american criminal justice system hayes argues that the united states is comprised of two separate societies the nation and the colony the nation is inhabited primarily by white americans who enjoy the full benefits of citizenship and civil rights