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annelives's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
The Rock Pile - the last line literally gave me chills. Even though the scene ends there the line perfectly encapsulates what’s going to happen even though intentions aren’t clearly stated.
The Outing - there's a whole lot going on in this short story. Grappling with religion and romantic attraction. That fear of knowing you might be different but you're not quite sure what it means. There's a hint of parental abuse as well. It honestly feels like a snapshot in time.
The Man Child - throughout the story there's this underlying tension between the adult characters and a child who is trying to make sense of what's going on around him. We're mostly in the child"s thoughts throughout which is especially horrifying towards the end. Like the atmosphere in this short story builds to where you know something is off and you're waiting in dread for something horrific to happen, but when it does finally happen you're still not quite ready.
Previous Condition - this short story is just so fucking sad because of how so little has actually changed. You feel the protagonist's anger, fear, and utter exhaustion as he tries to just exist in a world that makes it so difficul for black people to exist. I teared up multiple times at his desperation and an agony he couldn't adequately explain to his white Jewish friends, who could understand oppression and prejudice, but couldn't truly understand being black in America. How you can't hide from it and pass as white. How the system is suffocating and all around him. The isolation and loneliness reaches out from the page. It's heartbreaking.
Sonny's Blues - this is the first of the stories in here where I feel like there is some hope. Although I feel like it wouldn't quite fit with the rest of the stories if that hope wasn't ambiguous and fragile, like it could be taken away at anytime. The Man knows how to write. The complicated feelings and guilt between siblings and the effects addiction has on everyone. Also, the way he describes the jazz being performed at the end almost as a conversation and story is perfect.
This Morning, This Evening, So soon - Baldwin writes emotions and lived experiences so well. I love how love and family is portrayed in this short story. It's everything love and family should be, but realistically portrayed.
The exploration of black identity and how it compares to France and America while also exploring the tense relations between the Arabs and Frence was interesting. The complexity of the relationships between the protagonist who is a black American, who has found freedom in France, and a white Frenchman, and Tunisian Arab was fascinating. How the protagonist was kind of in the middle of these two groups and kind of had a loyalty to both.
Baldwin is really good at taking a normal everyday scenario and giving it so much weight and meaning even though it still remains ordinary. Like these two things exist at once.
Coming Out the Wilderness - The internalized misogyny and shame the heroine is dealing with is awful. I honestly just want to give her a hug and tell her she's worth so much more than how any of these men see her or even how she sees herself. I really wish there was a more hopeful ending to this one.
I can't decide if Baldwin recognized the double standards that his female protagonist is held to or not. I don't know enough about how he viewed women, particularly black women who are in interracial relationships, to really understand what he was trying to say with this character.
In the last short story the male protagonist is in an interracial relationship and there's no sense of shame with it. However. The protagonist was concerned when his white French friend and Arab friend were interested in a black woman they had all just met. Even the protagonist didn't quite understand why he was disturbed by it. So it does make me wonder if there's some hang ups there by the author. I'll need to read more by him to see if this perception has merit.
Like everything so far it's well written and compelling. You feel with each of his protagonists.
Going to Meet the Man - the amount of vitriol in this protagonist's mind is repulsive. Like the amount of hate and abuse he espouses, and knowing it was the norm (and for some people still is). That he has power over people is infuriating.
The description of the abuse black people endured while protesting for their human rights was hard to read. It's eerily familiar to how cops still deal with those protesting like during the BLM protests and now with the Pro-Palestinian protests. That so very little has actually changed with how law enforcement polices black, brown, and poor bodies is literally a crime against humanity.
Also, how he uses music throughout this story to help weave everything together is such good storytelling. He's also really good at using flashbacks where it flows seamlessly with the present.
Speaking of flashbacks, the one in this story was hard to get through. So much violence and hate. This was the hardest story to get through, and that's saying something considering how some of the other stories ended.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Torture
The last story is pretty graphic and most of the content warning tags I used is because of this story.frankiereadstoomuch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Rape, Addiction, Child death, Racial slurs, Drug abuse, Classism, Violence, Body horror, Grief, Racism, and Hate crime
bibliorama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Death, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, and Addiction
ellareads2's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
1. The Outing
2. Previous Condition
3. The Rockpile
4. The Man Child
5. This Morning, This Evening, So Soon
6. Sonny's Blues
7. Come Out the Wilderness
8. Going to Meet the Man (MAJOR TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING FOR LYNCHING)
What I like most about "The Outing" is how close to home it feels. Baldwin perfectly captures what it's like to grow up in the Church around very religious people and feel all that shame, guilt, and trauma even as a child. Along with these religious power dynamics, he also explores how this intersects with gender and age within the congregation. I love the descriptions of male intimacy-whether platonic or romantic it could be read-between the two boys Johnnie and David. These boys, as well as their friend Roy, do not buy the narrative of salvation that others around them do. But Johnnie, being the preacher's son and living and breathing this religion, still desires the great love and intimacy all the worshippers around him display during the service on the boat. It is a beautiful scene that Johne observes, but he is not truly apart of. I felt that as a queer person with religious trauma, the seamless parallels Baldwin makes are very powerful.
*full review will be on blog*
Graphic: Torture, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abortion and Slavery
elchivovivo's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Baldwin’s plots move forward like a river, and also like a river, they plunge into depths, pausing like whirlpools into the souls of character or into deep insights contained in the scenes.
Graphic: Racism and Violence
asililydying's review
3.75
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Child death, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexism, Child abuse, Cursing, Deportation, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Hate crime, Murder, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Classism, Religious bigotry, Terminal illness, Violence, Gore, Racism, and Genocide
rzh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Torture, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs
library_raider's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Violence and Racism
gayliott's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Hate crime, Police brutality, Violence, and Torture
eddyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence