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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
James Baldwin's prose amazes me because it provokes a deep and enriching resonance from his audience. His familiarity with the intimate experiences of Black people in America allows him to pathologize the white oppressor class in a way that leaves a mark on his reader, since it forces us to question the norms that we have been indoctrinated to uphold, such as assimilating to fill a foreign mold to turn us into hollow complicit human beings. His continued optimism thoughout this long letter is then not only daring, but is also promising--- promising in the sense that one day, love will prevail.
challenging
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
A short read with necessity and charge behind every single word.
Favorite Quotes:
"Here you were: to be loved. To be loved, baby, hard, at once and forever, to strengthen you against the loveless world."
"Well, the black man has functioned in the white man's world as a fixed star, as an immovable pillar: and as he moves out of his place, heaven and earth are shaken to their foundations."
"To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread."
"Heavenly witnesses are a tricky lot, to be used by whoever is closest to Heaven at the time."
"One can give nothing whatever without giving oneself--that is to say, risking oneself. If one cannot risk oneself, then one is simply incapable of giving."
"Time and time and time again, the people discover that they have merely betrayed themselves into the hands of yet another Pharaoh, who, since he was necessary to put the broken country together, will not let them go."
"If one is continually surviving the worst that life can bring, one eventually ceases to be controlled by a fear of what life can bring; whatever it brings must be borne."
"I know that what I am asking is impossible. But in our time, as in every time, the impossible is the least that one can demand."
Favorite Quotes:
"Here you were: to be loved. To be loved, baby, hard, at once and forever, to strengthen you against the loveless world."
"Well, the black man has functioned in the white man's world as a fixed star, as an immovable pillar: and as he moves out of his place, heaven and earth are shaken to their foundations."
"To be sensual, I think, is to respect and rejoice in the force of life, of life itself, and to be present in all that one does, from the effort of loving to the breaking of bread."
"Heavenly witnesses are a tricky lot, to be used by whoever is closest to Heaven at the time."
"One can give nothing whatever without giving oneself--that is to say, risking oneself. If one cannot risk oneself, then one is simply incapable of giving."
"Time and time and time again, the people discover that they have merely betrayed themselves into the hands of yet another Pharaoh, who, since he was necessary to put the broken country together, will not let them go."
"If one is continually surviving the worst that life can bring, one eventually ceases to be controlled by a fear of what life can bring; whatever it brings must be borne."
"I know that what I am asking is impossible. But in our time, as in every time, the impossible is the least that one can demand."
The first essay is a letter to his godson and nephew, also named James Baldwin, and reminds me very much of Ta-Nehisi Coates's BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME. It's heartrending and superb. The second one is really about religion and goes on for quite a long time. Everything Baldwin writes is amazing, but this essay felt more dated.
challenging
informative
fast-paced
When I saw this was narrated by Jesse Martin, I knew I had to listen. This was fantastic and incredibly powerful, packing a punch in a relatively short book. Although this was my first experience with James Baldwin’s writing, it definitely won’t be my last.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
fast-paced
“A civilization is not destroyed by wicked people; it is not necessary that people be wicked but only that they be spineless.”
It's a bit terrifying how poignant this essay still is, 60+ years after it was written. It was not a comfortable read for me, but it was very important. Definitely one I will revisit.
It's a bit terrifying how poignant this essay still is, 60+ years after it was written. It was not a comfortable read for me, but it was very important. Definitely one I will revisit.