Scan barcode
A review by stacialithub
The Evidence of Things Not Seen by James Baldwin
5.0
This is basically a novella-length essay. I had seen it on a list of books to read & was interested because the topic was the Atlanta Child Murders (at least 26 children/teens & two adults, possibly more) & Wayne Williams. I remember this being in the news, though I didn't remember many details. I was intrigued because I had NO idea that Baldwin had traveled to Atlanta to report on this. (I also did not remember that Wayne Williams was tried for & convicted of the murders of the two adults killed, but was not charged with any of the child murders. Yet, he was tried in the press & popular opinion of all the murders, & Baldwin does address this in his book. The assumption was/is that Williams was a prolific serial killer & the cases were closed even though nobody was ever officially charged or tried. In 2019, Atlanta's mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reopened the cases, hoping new technology will be able to help conclusively close the cases. I do not know the current status. Meanwhile, Wayne Williams is still serving his two life sentences.)
Baldwin's book was quite different than what I was expecting. While he does cover some about the murders & Wayne Williams, it's really a jumping off point on him dissecting race & race relations in America. If you're looking for an account of the murders, or the investigation, or the trial, this may not be the book you want. (In fact, I think you need to already have a passing knowledge of events prior to reading for some of it to make sense.) If you're looking for an analysis of all the things that have converged & led up to this type of moment, this is *definitely* the book you want. If this hadn't been a library book, I think I would have underlined or highlighted about 70% of this book (& I'm not even the type to write in my books). There's just so much truth here, so many blunt observations, so much that is accurate today, especially looking at what is happening in the US right now.
Even though the book is short (about 120 pages), Baldwin's paragraphs are dense & packed. I basically read it out loud to myself to make sure I was slowing down enough to take in & understand what he was saying. He has such a clarity of vision.
Crucial reading even today. As the summary says, the essay is timeless.
P.S. Re: the topic of the Atlanta Child Murders, I have had the podcast Atlanta Monster recommended to me. I haven't yet listened to it, but mention it here in case you're interested.
Baldwin's book was quite different than what I was expecting. While he does cover some about the murders & Wayne Williams, it's really a jumping off point on him dissecting race & race relations in America. If you're looking for an account of the murders, or the investigation, or the trial, this may not be the book you want. (In fact, I think you need to already have a passing knowledge of events prior to reading for some of it to make sense.) If you're looking for an analysis of all the things that have converged & led up to this type of moment, this is *definitely* the book you want. If this hadn't been a library book, I think I would have underlined or highlighted about 70% of this book (& I'm not even the type to write in my books). There's just so much truth here, so many blunt observations, so much that is accurate today, especially looking at what is happening in the US right now.
Even though the book is short (about 120 pages), Baldwin's paragraphs are dense & packed. I basically read it out loud to myself to make sure I was slowing down enough to take in & understand what he was saying. He has such a clarity of vision.
Crucial reading even today. As the summary says, the essay is timeless.
P.S. Re: the topic of the Atlanta Child Murders, I have had the podcast Atlanta Monster recommended to me. I haven't yet listened to it, but mention it here in case you're interested.