Reviews - Going to Meet the Man

361 reviews for:

Going to Meet the Man

James Baldwin

4.34 AVERAGE

omayeli's review against another edition

4.0

devastating, brilliant, a perfect storm. Baldwin is the master of the flourish, master of prose

allthebooks3000's review against another edition

4.75

Baldwin's control of language, character, and narrative is unparalleled. Some minor gripes with unimportant details in "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon". Stunning in the way that sudden clarity can be nauseating in its precision, and imperfect only insofar as these stories are part of a discourse that is still ongoing.

davebjorlin's review against another edition

4.0

Some of the stories are better than others, but "Sonny's Blues," "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon," and "Going to Meet the Man" are must-reads, even when difficult (especially "Going to Meet the Man"). Perhaps no quote better sums up Baldwin's work than this:
"For while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard. There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness."

dogyrs's review against another edition

5.0

For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it always must be heard.

i've read many collections of short stories, but this is the first one that's kept me glued to the book from start to finish, where each story felt as deep, meaningful and curated as the others. every character, no matter how short the time spent with them might be, is incredibly multi-faceted, and their striking mundanity, their complicated relationships - with family, lovers, themselves, white people, God - and their tormented interior life feels tangible, real, and undeniable. it's haunting.
i loved every minute of this book and every harsh truth it forces us to face. baldwin will always be an author i turn to when i need to see life as it is, unfiltered and authentic.