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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
“Maybe it’s better to have the terrible times first. I don’t know. Maybe, then, you can have, if you live, a better life, a real life, because you had to fight so hard to get it away— you know?— from the mad dog who held it in his teeth. But then your life has all those tooth marks, too, all those tatters, and all that blood.”
This is probably my least favourite of Baldwin's works so far. I really really enjoyed it, so that's just an indication of how much of a Baldwin fangirl I am. But yeah, this is my first time delving into his short stories, and I didn't find them quite as impactful as his longer works. It's not that I think they needed to be longer, necessarily. Each of these worked really well at the length it was, and thinking about it, I don't think any of them would really hold up as well with more words. They're all perfect little snapshots, wherein Baldwin tackles some of his favourite themes: religion, racism, brotherhood, coming of age. My favourite was probably "Sonny's Blues". It was really emotional, and the relationship between the brothers was so well-observed. I liked "The Outing" for the queer undertones. "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" was really interesting; I love when Baldwin talks about the place of the black man and the different types of reception he gets in different countries, as compared to America. The protagonist in this story is still a lot more privileged than the average black man, when it comes to his place in French society, and some things that apply to him wouldn't apply to others. There were a lot of great conversations and observations in this, and I really liked his relationship with his son. "Come Out the Wilderness" was interesting because Baldwin doesn't often write female protagonists (in the stuff I've read, at least). I felt so much frustration on behalf of this character, and the writing was some of the best. "Going to Meet the Man" was absolutely horrific in all the ways it was intended to be. Almost too much so. Super disturbing, but without feeling hyperbolic or unrealistic.
A really great collection, all in all! Like I said, my least favourite from Baldwin, but even his worst is a lot better than some authors' best. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
racism, slurs, murder, lynching and tortureFor, 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.
while masterful in prose and skilled in creating contained stories, i prefer Baldwin’s full books and essays over this collection.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful but uneven collection of short stories. Racism is of course a big theme, and the eponymous story, the last one, is gruesome as the main character, a white sheriff, is sexually aroused when he remembers Black men being tortured and killed. The other stories vary, the first two (the oldest ones in the collection) are about children and their parents' church community, I found them difficult to get interested in. My favourite ones were Previous Condition - a Black man sublets from a Jewish friend and is evicted by his white landlady; and Sonny's Blues, about two estranged brothers meeting again after their mother's death and the death of a child.
The writing is beautiful, fluid and straightforward.
Free copy sent by Netgalley, the book was originally published in 1965.
The writing is beautiful, fluid and straightforward.
Free copy sent by Netgalley, the book was originally published in 1965.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture
One must give Mr. Baldwin the respect he deserves and linger over every god damn word and turn of phrase and find yourself astonished and suddenly o shit are u crying?? But it’s not because you’re sad, it’s just because he’s just said something true. And before he said it, the truths were merely floating around, lingering there, waiting for you to linger along with them. He pins them to the page and takes your heart there with it. I’m such a freaking fan, so shaken that I get to be alive at a time where there exists his prose.
One of the best collections of short stories I've read. "Going to Meet the Man" is up there with the best stories overall. James Baldwin should be mandatory reading.
Cool on one or two stories, warm on two others, really enjoyed another two, but SONNY'S BLUES and GOING TO MEET THE MAN have enough impact that they must've rattled the whole literary world when they came out. Both are like sixes out of fives.
Every story was compelling, distinct, and sat in the pit of my stomach while I processed it. I will need to come back to this and re-read to process more. Ashamed of my education that I had not read Baldwin earlier in my life. But perhaps I wouldn't have heard his voice or his message at a younger age.
final reading in his early novels collection. magic. i was happy to see more of the characters from go tell it on the mountain. there's just something about the way baldwin is able to capture the loneliness and confusion of being human, if only i could see the world so clearly. sonny's blues and going to meet the man are works of art
4.5*
"In that gesture, that look upward, with the light so briefly on his face, she saw the bones that held his face together and the sorrow beginning to corrode his brow, the blood beating like butterfly wings against the cage of his heavy neck. But there was no name for something blind, cruel, lustful, lost, intolerably vulnerable in his eyes and mouth. She knew that in spite of everything, his colour, his power or his coming fame, he was lost. He did not know what had happened to his life. And never would."
The only writer who can make me tear up instantly. Master of prose indeed.
"In that gesture, that look upward, with the light so briefly on his face, she saw the bones that held his face together and the sorrow beginning to corrode his brow, the blood beating like butterfly wings against the cage of his heavy neck. But there was no name for something blind, cruel, lustful, lost, intolerably vulnerable in his eyes and mouth. She knew that in spite of everything, his colour, his power or his coming fame, he was lost. He did not know what had happened to his life. And never would."
The only writer who can make me tear up instantly. Master of prose indeed.
I've never felt the need to review a book on Goodreads before, but this book needs praise, and, more importantly, it needs attention.
After having read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I was, despite the gloomy descriptions of black male life, uplifted. I never thought one could write such redeeming and beautiful prose on such an ugly and political topic. Naturally, I started looking at Coates' inspiration for writing this book, and who people compared him to. This very swiftly led me into the arms of James Baldwin, the collection of short stories I now hold in my hands, and many a night of intense, passionate reading. I fucking love this one.
Alright, so what's so great about it, you ask? Well, above this paragraph I wanted to insert a short, fancy quote, which seems to be the thing to do. I looked through the pages I've highlighted and found the shortest quote. It's about ten lines. And this is the thing, for me, about Baldwin's prose, which is so fantastically can't-keep-my-arms-down, screaming-at-the-top-of-my-lungs intoxating. The picturesque writing doesn't stop for a second, you're constantly being carried down a stream of hauntingly beautiful descriptions until you're entirely engulfed by the world it creates.
And because of this, I've been on the Parisian bridge with the African-American singer in "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" when the sunlight hits his Swedish wife-to-be, and is finally left alone with her, as the white man's world, the hostile, killing world, evaporates around him.
I've sat next to the black teacher in "Sonny's Blues" watching his brother playing the piano, sharing the same old tale of light versus dark, and at the same time desperately trying not to suffer through the redemptive beauty of the blues.
I've been a child in "Going to Tell the Man", placed on the safe shoulders of my in-bred, racist father, watching the ignorant and malevolent masses as they chant and scream at the crucified and castrated man of color, who will soon be burned alive.
Above all, I've witnessed the segregation period, not from a political perspective, but from a human perspective. The frailties and sufferings of mankind, regardless of color, are illuminated by this book, itself a fiery torch in the dark void of suffering.
I could continue praising this book. I could even highlight it's relevance in today's segregated world, where blacks in the US still struggle and suffer and scream for justice, and where refugees flee the Middle East's war-torn countries in search of redemption and safety, but instead are met with violence and prejudice. I could do all those things. But I'm off to read "Go Tell it on the Mountain", and I won't be disturbed.
After having read Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I was, despite the gloomy descriptions of black male life, uplifted. I never thought one could write such redeeming and beautiful prose on such an ugly and political topic. Naturally, I started looking at Coates' inspiration for writing this book, and who people compared him to. This very swiftly led me into the arms of James Baldwin, the collection of short stories I now hold in my hands, and many a night of intense, passionate reading. I fucking love this one.
Alright, so what's so great about it, you ask? Well, above this paragraph I wanted to insert a short, fancy quote, which seems to be the thing to do. I looked through the pages I've highlighted and found the shortest quote. It's about ten lines. And this is the thing, for me, about Baldwin's prose, which is so fantastically can't-keep-my-arms-down, screaming-at-the-top-of-my-lungs intoxating. The picturesque writing doesn't stop for a second, you're constantly being carried down a stream of hauntingly beautiful descriptions until you're entirely engulfed by the world it creates.
And because of this, I've been on the Parisian bridge with the African-American singer in "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" when the sunlight hits his Swedish wife-to-be, and is finally left alone with her, as the white man's world, the hostile, killing world, evaporates around him.
I've sat next to the black teacher in "Sonny's Blues" watching his brother playing the piano, sharing the same old tale of light versus dark, and at the same time desperately trying not to suffer through the redemptive beauty of the blues.
I've been a child in "Going to Tell the Man", placed on the safe shoulders of my in-bred, racist father, watching the ignorant and malevolent masses as they chant and scream at the crucified and castrated man of color, who will soon be burned alive.
Above all, I've witnessed the segregation period, not from a political perspective, but from a human perspective. The frailties and sufferings of mankind, regardless of color, are illuminated by this book, itself a fiery torch in the dark void of suffering.
I could continue praising this book. I could even highlight it's relevance in today's segregated world, where blacks in the US still struggle and suffer and scream for justice, and where refugees flee the Middle East's war-torn countries in search of redemption and safety, but instead are met with violence and prejudice. I could do all those things. But I'm off to read "Go Tell it on the Mountain", and I won't be disturbed.