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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If i had to choose one piece of writing that moved me the most inside it has to be this story. Like a ride through a town, an uneasy glance at a window, it is short and effective, yet somehow genius at pointing out the slow agony of the different characters: this book is like a series of slowed frames in a movie that stay printed at the back of my brain, full of questions unanswered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder
4 stars for "Sonny's Blues," "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" and "Going to Meet the Man."
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Some great stories, some meh stories. Sonny’s Blues and This Morning, This Evening, So Soon were my two favorite. Baldwin definitely knows how to capture humanity in all our complexity.
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I know everybody's in trouble and nothing is easy, but how can I explain to you what it feels like to be black when I don't understand it and don't want to and spend all my time trying to forget it?
Οι πρωταγωνιστές κι οι πρωταγωνίστριες των 8 μικρών ιστοριών προσπαθούν με πολυμήχανους κι απελπισμένους τρόπους να κρατηθούν στην επιφάνεια, αποτυγχάνουν κι όμως αγωνίζονται.
(Less of a review more of a confession???) James Baldwin you brilliant fucking mastermind, I am in love with you. Does that make sense? If not, well then sorry but I fucking love you. You've stirred me up so much, and I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now. I will never truly understand the plight of the characters in each story - but you have given me an ever so small glimpse into the many struggles that African American people face. You have given each character so much depth, beauty, and personality. You've managed to explain the more profound problems with racism and hate. The early roots, the familial love (referencing Going to Meet the Man), and the deliberate ignorance of others. You've expressed compassion towards centuries of ignorance. Your words do not miss, and for that, I am forever grateful and indebted to you.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
Going To Meet The Man is my introduction to James Baldwin. I have a few book from him that I want to read but this just happened to be the book available when I was recently looking at bookstores. I don't often read short stories collections so this was a good change of pace for me.
I thought this was a good introduction to Baldwin's writing style. You get to see what he is capable of in short bursts and different topics. I am really surprised how memorable all of these stories are. While some are clearly better than others, I can tell you a basic synopsis for each of them as well as their overall themes. This is due to how great Baldwin can write characters. Considering how short some of these stories can be, I was surprise how much Baldwin developed characters in such a short period of them. You really get to build an understanding of each main character he writes about.
Baldwin covers so many different topics and does such a good job of writing convincing characters of all types of backgrounds. While many stories are very clearly based off events of his actual life he writes from so many different perspectives. He writes men, women, Black people, white people, children, adults, people of his time, people of prior periods all with such a greatly convincing manner. It's amazing how well he creates a narrative and captures the mannerisms of specific people to add to their believability.
The book does start off with a few slower, lower stakes, stories but it builds in intensity and gravitas as it goes along; ending with the defining masterpiece that this collection is named after. The final story is such an immense high in writing proficiency that it almost minimizes the impact of the stories that came before it. While this imbalance does kind of throw off the overall quality of this book I think there is no better way to structure a collection like this than to make it the finale.
I found many of the other stories to be great in their own right. The descriptions of Jazz music being played in "Sonny's Blues" are some of the best I've ever read. The commentaries on the society of Baldwin's time (and often still our own) in "Previous Condition", This Morning, This Evening, This Soon", and "Come Out The Wilderness" all are great thought pondering themes that you will continue to reflect on long after you finish reading them.
I'm excited to read more from Baldwin and I think a longer form narrative can only improve on what I've experienced here.
I thought this was a good introduction to Baldwin's writing style. You get to see what he is capable of in short bursts and different topics. I am really surprised how memorable all of these stories are. While some are clearly better than others, I can tell you a basic synopsis for each of them as well as their overall themes. This is due to how great Baldwin can write characters. Considering how short some of these stories can be, I was surprise how much Baldwin developed characters in such a short period of them. You really get to build an understanding of each main character he writes about.
Baldwin covers so many different topics and does such a good job of writing convincing characters of all types of backgrounds. While many stories are very clearly based off events of his actual life he writes from so many different perspectives. He writes men, women, Black people, white people, children, adults, people of his time, people of prior periods all with such a greatly convincing manner. It's amazing how well he creates a narrative and captures the mannerisms of specific people to add to their believability.
The book does start off with a few slower, lower stakes, stories but it builds in intensity and gravitas as it goes along; ending with the defining masterpiece that this collection is named after. The final story is such an immense high in writing proficiency that it almost minimizes the impact of the stories that came before it. While this imbalance does kind of throw off the overall quality of this book I think there is no better way to structure a collection like this than to make it the finale.
I found many of the other stories to be great in their own right. The descriptions of Jazz music being played in "Sonny's Blues" are some of the best I've ever read. The commentaries on the society of Baldwin's time (and often still our own) in "Previous Condition", This Morning, This Evening, This Soon", and "Come Out The Wilderness" all are great thought pondering themes that you will continue to reflect on long after you finish reading them.
I'm excited to read more from Baldwin and I think a longer form narrative can only improve on what I've experienced here.
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Murder
Minor: Addiction