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samugranjo's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Slavery
Minor: Sexual violence and Drug use
arkwen452's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Listen to this audiobook, I found that there are a lot of similarities that Baldwin describes based on the Harlem. He lived in then and the world that we live in today. I guess I should not be surprised, considering the slow progression of society, and its lack of acceptance of the African-American people, regardless his words were Aunt and impactful; it was like visualizing him speaking about the present day in our society. He makes a lot of great points regarding society, the erasure of the global majority and the dangers of Christianity as it spread throughout the world, but most importantly, on the African-American people.
It also had me thinking about what's currently happening in Palestine, and it made me question methods or ways that I or individuals of present day could organize to come up with ways for there to be a better present and future for all people. Baldwin has a strong sense of his place in society, particularly as a black man but also he has a strong sense of himself when it comes to how he dealt with the racism, but also how he saw other individuals made the white people and for him to have this level of perspective and objectivity against The singular ideas, a lot of the activist from that time had I was very very memorable and Inspiring.
His words are thought-provoking, but not in a way that it's fear, mongering or forceful persuasion to Annette violence or fictitious retaliation; I know there's a lot of people today, who would not have such a level head when dealing with the oppression and belittle, mints, and treatment of the African-American people, and the global minority when it comes to the white extremist community who can be vile, crude and dismissive.
This might be my first Baldwin read; I wish to read more of this Works and I want to re-read this book because there were several quotes that I enjoyed and that's stuck with me while I was listening to this audiobook. This is definitely a book that needs to go on my forever reread list.
It also had me thinking about what's currently happening in Palestine, and it made me question methods or ways that I or individuals of present day could organize to come up with ways for there to be a better present and future for all people. Baldwin has a strong sense of his place in society, particularly as a black man but also he has a strong sense of himself when it comes to how he dealt with the racism, but also how he saw other individuals made the white people and for him to have this level of perspective and objectivity against The singular ideas, a lot of the activist from that time had I was very very memorable and Inspiring.
His words are thought-provoking, but not in a way that it's fear, mongering or forceful persuasion to Annette violence or fictitious retaliation; I know there's a lot of people today, who would not have such a level head when dealing with the oppression and belittle, mints, and treatment of the African-American people, and the global minority when it comes to the white extremist community who can be vile, crude and dismissive.
This might be my first Baldwin read; I wish to read more of this Works and I want to re-read this book because there were several quotes that I enjoyed and that's stuck with me while I was listening to this audiobook. This is definitely a book that needs to go on my forever reread list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Islamophobia, Sexism, and Slavery
marlasmirkingrevenge's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
jessereadsthings's review
informative
fast-paced
3.0
Not my favorite Baldwin, but a really interesting book. Need to reread in future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Alcoholism and Genocide
ukponge's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Antisemitism
butlerebecca's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Blood, Murder, and Racial slurs
ldpaige's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
You were not expected to aspire to excellence: you were expected to make peace with mediocrity.
For the horrors of the American Negro’s life there has been almost no language.
Beautiful. Stunning. I wish the pacing was the same between the letter and the essay, but you need to sit with both texts to truly hear Baldwin. I loved this read and highlighted so much.
The Black American experience through the eyes of Baldwin is just irreplaceable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Violence
yolie's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
2.75
A poignant collection of essays on racial injustice in the United States.
It does a good job of drawing the history of Black Americans from their arrival in America, working on plantations and the corrosive effect that slavery still has on Black Americans in the 60s (when the book was published) but as still relevant now.
While there were parts that stuck out to me, I recognise that the book didn’t entirely connect with me. Maybe the experience of reading a digital copy affected how much enjoyment I could extract from engaging with the book physically, but I sometimes struggled to follow along with an idea he’d introduce and sometimes it felt like a ramble rather than an allegory.
The book begins with a heartbreaking letter to his nephew, which acts as foreboding to the life which awaits him as a Black man in America. It’s sad how in all the time that’s passed since then, parents and guardians of young Black men still hold the same fear for them particularly in the political climate and social climate America is in.
The last quarter of the book, after he meets with the Nation of Islam, was what brought down the score for me as a couldn’t quite connect the lines.
It’s book I’m willing to revisit and read again if I were to get a physical copy of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Slavery and Religious bigotry