Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
Sad how very relevant this still is
informative
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
dark
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
das buch ist so so wichtig. heute wie damals. richtig bodenlos dass sich in all dieser zeit absolut NIX geändert hat (und sich wahrscheinlich auch nix ändern wird). hier kriegt man erfahrungen aus erster hand. egal ob es um polizeigewalt, malcom x oder den (verlorenen) glauben geht. kann ich jedem nur empfehlen!
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
many pages dog-earred. you read to see new attitudes.
challenging
fast-paced
“Privately, we cannot stand our lives and dare not examine them; domestically, we take no responsibility for (and no pride in) what goes on in our country; and, internationally, for many millions of people, we are an unmitigated disaster.”
I am on my hands and knees BEGGING you to read James Baldwin. Not just to read him, but to examine what his works mean, and to reflect on how the words he uses can impact your own life.
This shouldn’t be as relevant and as cutting today as it was when it was first published. It really shouldn’t have to be.
Read Baldwin. Please.
I am on my hands and knees BEGGING you to read James Baldwin. Not just to read him, but to examine what his works mean, and to reflect on how the words he uses can impact your own life.
This shouldn’t be as relevant and as cutting today as it was when it was first published. It really shouldn’t have to be.
Read Baldwin. Please.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
The Fire Next Time was my first book by James Baldwin after years of hearing interviews and reading quotes attributed to him in the civil rights movement. Similar to bell hooks, his words are powerful without much fluff, requiring the reader to cling to each one; I was worried for this reason that comprehending this book would take a slow and concerted effort, with many stops and starts. I blazed through it in under a week. This is not because his language was simple or messages were always straightforward, but rather, because he has a unique way of writing that felt like climbing into a minecart each time I picked up the book: Starting was creaky and required some backtracking to build momentum. But with momentum and a bit of blind faith, I found myself shooting off into dips and climbs that felt dangerous and disorienting and utterly exhilarating. This being a letter to his nephew and an essay, Baldwin did not accomplish this through gratuitous plot twists or cliff hangers. It was all thanks to a marriage of his pure talent with the essential exploration of race in the U.S.
Other than with bell hooks, I will not draw comparisons between Baldwin and his contemporaries and fellow Black liberation scholars and fighters (although it was fascinating to see how his story overlapped with Malcom X's). Baldwin's writing simply holds its own in a powerful section of history's library with how it leans unflinching on love to carry its message. Whether pointing a spotlight at white racism, grieving for Harlem's lost Black youth, or placing Africa in its rightful place alongside the other continents and world powers, Baldwin leads with love. This was hardly an easy read, but it was a beautiful and necessary one.
Other than with bell hooks, I will not draw comparisons between Baldwin and his contemporaries and fellow Black liberation scholars and fighters (although it was fascinating to see how his story overlapped with Malcom X's). Baldwin's writing simply holds its own in a powerful section of history's library with how it leans unflinching on love to carry its message. Whether pointing a spotlight at white racism, grieving for Harlem's lost Black youth, or placing Africa in its rightful place alongside the other continents and world powers, Baldwin leads with love. This was hardly an easy read, but it was a beautiful and necessary one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Slavery, Police brutality
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence