A review by johndiconsiglio
Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

3.0

Baldwin continues to enjoy a well-deserved resurgence. (It’s a shame we only notice him in crises.) This fine hybrid not-bio, not-literary-criticism, not-history examines how his writings (particularly his later essays) address American’s current racial reckoning. Princeton prof author nimbly explores Baldwin’s evolving views & ties them into a larger examination of “the ugliness of who we are” (even if he sorta dismisses the Obama presidency & admits he urged black voters to leave their ballots blank rather than vote for Hillary). Published right before the summer BLM protests. Would that have made it a different book?