theinfamousgdub 's review for:

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

4.0

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I was really impressed by Baldwin’s ability to organically shift between an expansive, multigenerational interplay and a very inward, constrained focus. Having read “Notes of A Native Son” prior to this was valuable. It helped me to see Baldwin’s place in the narrative. I was exceedingly wowed by use of biblical symbolism, which is often a failed endeavor for writers—coming off as an attempt to crib depth from incoherent and poorly-executed references that betray a lack of knowledge. That was definitely not the case with Baldwin here— he was magically able to balance the cynic and the fervent believer without unfairly prejudicing either.