A review by historyofjess
Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I have a lot of affection for James Baldwin's writing, but it was early on in this collection when I realize that it's the kind of book that I struggle a lot with. Basically, the tone, voice and setting of each story was so similar that I often found them all kind of bleeding together for me (this is definitely a "me" problem). They're also all quite grim stories, which makes it a bit of a rough read. Still, the one thing that stayed with me through a couple of the more impactful stories was Baldwin writing characters that were dealing with some internalized racism, as well as a creeping rage due to the racist behaviors they encountered in life.