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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
This was a tough read. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but the book was just so dense. Despite being the shortest thing I’ve read this year it just had so many important and critical lines on each page.
I think it was really interesting to get a different perspective on the civil rights era in America. Obviously Baldwin was a public intellectual but he provides a sort of man-on-the-street perspective as compared to the major activists of the time (MLK, Malcolm X, etc).
I love the first essay ‘My Dungeon Shook,’ I have no notes. It was so heartfelt and loving and I just found it so powerful.
The main essay was interesting, as I said it was very dense and quite hard to parse through since it didn’t have any distinct segments or like proper through-line, it just kind of meandered to its conclusion. A very valuable conclusion might I add!
Overall I think this was a worthwhile read, I think it might be dated a little in terms of how applicable it is today. But it gives a great insight into the time, it’s a good example of Baldwin’s writing style, and there are some real prescient segments about power and societal groups.
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
This is (regrettably!) the first of James Baldwin's works that I've actually read or listened to, despite being very aware of his massive influence on generations of Black writers, and how deeply the roots of his work and his life as an activist run in the Civil Rights era. When I saw that I could listen to this seminal work of his in a 2-hour audiobook, I jumped at the chance.
The Fire Next Time is a fascinating listen because it really feels like Baldwin speaking directly to you, given this work is more of a self-described manifesto than a collection of essays or nonfiction works. (On that note, Jesse L. Martin is a fantastic narrator — I have to admit that my little Rent-loving heart clenched a bit when I saw his name. His resonance and authority really help carry the work and give it even more impact.) This is clearest in the first essay, a letter to his nephew, a cautionary tale and rallying cry all at once, and a note on how one can place themselves within the larger historical context, especially when much of that history is still resonating today. The jumps between Baldwin's own history and the larger historical context are seamless, and despite tackling such huge topics, he manages to make them feel very human, very grounded. Admittedly, this was a bit harder for me to follow than a recording of essays since it flows quite directly from beginning to end with minimal interruption, but it was still totally engrossing.
It's absolutely clear why this has such standing in the literary canon, and I won't wait much longer to start reading Baldwin's other work, both fiction and nonfiction.
The Fire Next Time is a fascinating listen because it really feels like Baldwin speaking directly to you, given this work is more of a self-described manifesto than a collection of essays or nonfiction works. (On that note, Jesse L. Martin is a fantastic narrator — I have to admit that my little Rent-loving heart clenched a bit when I saw his name. His resonance and authority really help carry the work and give it even more impact.) This is clearest in the first essay, a letter to his nephew, a cautionary tale and rallying cry all at once, and a note on how one can place themselves within the larger historical context, especially when much of that history is still resonating today. The jumps between Baldwin's own history and the larger historical context are seamless, and despite tackling such huge topics, he manages to make them feel very human, very grounded. Admittedly, this was a bit harder for me to follow than a recording of essays since it flows quite directly from beginning to end with minimal interruption, but it was still totally engrossing.
It's absolutely clear why this has such standing in the literary canon, and I won't wait much longer to start reading Baldwin's other work, both fiction and nonfiction.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
challenging
reflective
medium-paced