Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - The Fire Next Time

One of the most important pieces of literature ever written. It is comprehensive, straightforward, and thought-provoking. Baldwin is a master of his craft.

This is the first Baldwin essay I ever read, and I was breath-taken. He remains one of my favorite authors of all time.

The fact that this essay is written as a letter to his nephew adds yet another layer of humanity and emotionality.

It is horrifying to realize the depth of this essay’s relevance 60 years after it’s publication. It is inconceivable.

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james1star's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This was my first work by James Baldwin and will certainly not be the last. In these two essays/letters, he perfectly explains the ‘racial nightmare’ in America with such brutal honestly and rawness. It starts with a letter to his then fifteen year old nephew James telling him of his current place in American society as a young black man and how despite being destined to the gutter, he must accept himself and aspire for a better life. Then a much longer piece tells the reader of Baldwin’s experiences of growing up in Harlem with the many racial injustices, his interactions with religion (Christianity and later the Nation of Islam movement) and how we as a society much think about things differently to ever move forward. There are maybe some convoluted or slightly tangental passages but this adds to the human-ness and honesty he puts forward - it’s like he’s talking to you, sharing his thoughts and wisdom… amazing. At its heart, ‘The Fire Next Time’ is a plea to end the legacy of racial injustice that plagued (and still does) America at the time of writing in 1963 and was influential in the growing civil rights movement. Additionally, Baldwin’s grasp on the human condition is put forward with a pin-point accuracy that you can’t help but sit back and take a few moments to really take in. It may seem hard and a little preachy to some extent, but his message of love overcoming hate is what we should be aspiring to. The book has many well penned quotes/passages but these were my favourites - I am likely going to give this a reread and make more notes.

‘But what was the point, the purpose, of my salvation if it did not permit me to behave with love towards others, no matter how they behaved towards me?’

“I love a few people and they love me and some of them are white, and isn't love more important than colour?”

‘Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death - ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life. One is responsible to life: It is the small beacon in that terrifying darkness from which we come and to which we shall' return. One must negotiate this passage as nobly as possibly, for the sake of those who are coming after us.’

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jaiari12's review

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challenging reflective medium-paced

5.0

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milesjmoran's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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thoseoldcrows23's review

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

It's startling to see how very contemporary this book feels even though it came out over 50 years ago. There were many moments that felt like a sucker punch to the gut. Baldwin is a beautiful writer, and he approaches the issue of race with a level head and a mind towards empathy. I was also surprised by how easy this was to read. The language is very elevated, but it at no point felt inaccessible to me. I'm definitely interested in reading some of his fiction now, and I would recommend everyone (but especially every American) read this book.

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leannanecdote's review

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

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theuncannydani's review

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challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.0

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