364 reviews for:

Going to Meet the Man

James Baldwin

4.35 AVERAGE

chiajosephine's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad

two_octopuses's review against another edition

4.25

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

e_a1's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

yanareadit's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

indeedithappens's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: N/A

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ricoconritmo's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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I wish I could rate each story separately. I loved Sonny's Blues and The Outing.  All were very well written, but Man-Child and Going to Meet the Man seriously disturbed me.  I wasn't prepared for that level of horror and graphic evil.  The worst part, other than the fact that the words and images are already haunting me, is that it's all so utterly believable.  The banality of evil is a real thing. God have mercy on us all. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail

kazio1993's review against another edition

5.0

dark reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

shraya42's review against another edition

5.0

dark reflective tense medium-paced

beirut_wedding's review against another edition

5.0

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"Then it was over. Creole and Sonny let out their breath, both soaking wet, and grinning. There was a lot of applause and some of it was real. In the dark, the girl came by and I asked her to take drinks to the bandstand. There was a long pause, while they talked up there in the indigo light and after a while I saw the girl put a scotch and milk on top of the piano for Sonny. He didn't seem to notice it, but just before they started playing again, he sipped from it and looked toward me, and nodded. Then he put it back on top of the piano. For me, then, as they began to play again, it glowed and shook above my brother's head, like the very cup of trembling."

--from "Sonny's Blues"

The brother can WRITE!

reidfrancis's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes