About this title: The Modern Library edition of the book that William Styron said shook the conscience of a nation. This is James Baldwin's call for activism "to end the racial nightmare... and change the history of the world." Includes the long essay/sermon "Down at the Cross", his commentary on the rise of the Nation of Islam in America, and an argument against ...
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Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Dell, New York
Date Published: 1964
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. 1964 Dell paperback. NOT EX LIB! Lightly tanned pages with a couple notes & underlining, creased spine, moderate edgewear, writing inside front cover, scuffed covers. 141 p. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1992
ISBN-13:9780679744726ISBN:067974472X
Description: Very Good. Slight cover wear with minor scuffing to edges. GoodwillnyBooks is committed to providing each customer with the highest standard of customer service. You may return new items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1992-12-01
ISBN-13:9780679744726ISBN:067974472X
Description: Good. Good clean condition. All pages are clean. Cover/book edges have some wear. Some pages have marks, underlining or highlighting. Your satisfaction is guaranteed! read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. 0140182756 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Edition: Edition Unstated
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Dell
Date Published: 1985
ISBN-13:9780440325420ISBN:0440325420
Description: Good. As issued No Jacket. Spine lean, corner bumps, large corner crease rear cover, edgewear to the covers, corner creases to a couple of pages, plus some scattered underlining. read more
Description: Acceptable. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 1970-05
ISBN-13:9780140022377ISBN:0140022376
Description: Fair. Reading Copy; Mild shelf wear; Mild bumping and wear to corners and spine ends; Mild spine crease; Mild vertical crease front cover; Tanning to pages with minor browning to edges; Mild rubbing and wear to covers and spine; Mild pen underlining on pages throughout book; ** Free USPS tracking and confirm on US orders ** read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: The Dial Press, New York
Date Published: 1963
Description: Good + in Good + jacket. This 5.5"x8" hard cover book has a black dj with red and orange lettering on the front and spine of the dj. 120 pages. read more
Edition: Later Printing
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Delta, New York
Date Published: 1964
Description: Good. "Whether we are white or black, northern or southern, conservative or liberal; if we are both American and literate these letters are addressed to us. " Softcover, 120 pp., 8th printing. Moderate wear, previous owner's name on verso of title page and image from removed paperclip on two pages, otherwise unmarked, tight binding. Better-than-average reading copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1992-12-01
ISBN-13:9780679744726ISBN:067974472X
Description: Very Good. Minor edge wear, an excellent copy. NOT an ex-library book; no publisher's remainder marks. No spine creasing. Military (APO/FPO) orders are welcomed-Thank you for your service. read more
James Baldwin writes personal, provocative prose in The Fire Next Time. Of the two essays herein, the first "My Dungeon Shook" is a reflection about the psychological trip his father endured. Baldwin expresses anguish at the fact his father believed what the white people who lynched him out of the south told him. It embittered Baldwin's father for life. Baldwin himself was abused by a stepfather, beaten by police and then left to throw himself into street culture or church (he chose the latter then later Paris). It is a cautionary letter to his nephew with the message don't let hate consume you and trust your experience.
The second essay "Down at the Cross" is a meandering piece going from observations on militant black Islamist movement to pretty little philosophical asides about death. One idea that struck me from this is the idea that "black" and "white" is an American invention. Baldwin eloquently details the ways in which masters and slaves were emotionally tortured by the dynamics of slavery. Then, he relates it to the various social norms in the 60s. He dislikes militants. He hates patronizing liberals. Some of these attitudes still endure - strange."
"This is really a letter to his nephew not a book. My son had to read it for AP English summer reading. (Go MCPS all African American writings)I was appalled. It is horribly racist. Inflammatory. So much that it was humorous. This is one of my favorite quotes. In our copy pg 57 "...at the beginning of time there was not one white face to be found in all the universe. Black men ruled the earth and the black man was perfect. This is the truth concerning the era that white men now refer to as prehistoric. They want black men to believe that they, like white men, once lived in caves and swung from trees and ate their meat raw and did not have the power of speech. But this is not true. Black men were never in such a condition. (-ok that was just to give you context for the next line, stay with me here-) ALLAH ALLOWED THE DEVIL, THROUGH HIS SCIENTISTS, TO CARRY ON INFERNAL EXPERIMENTS, WHICH RESULTED, FINALLY, IN THE CREATION OF THE DEVIL KNOW AS THE WHITE MAN, AND LATER, EVEN MORE DISASTROUSLY IN THE CREATION OF THE WHITE WOMAN. And it was decreed that these monstrous creatures should rule the earth for a certain number of years...." AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you even imagine the uproar and protests if they were required to read anything remotely prejudiced in the reverse manner? You may need a paper bag with you while reading this if you tend to have anxiety attacks. I tried to blow it off then last week I saw a movie with Denzel Washington (swoon) starring as Malcolm X. In the movie they mentioned the role James Baldwin played in Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam and Black Supremacy movement. Then I felt like it is a book that everyone should read as part of cultural literacy and a part of our social history, ugly as it my be."
"I'm beginning to think Go Tell It on the Mountain will require a second reading, because everything else I've read by James Baldwin has been really fantastic.
The Fire Next Time is a short letter to Baldwin's nephew and a lengthy essay about racism in the United States. The latter is a particularly amazing read. Very thought provoking.
It's minor, but one of the neat things about this book is a couple of minor references. Robert Kennedy's remark about there being an African-American president in 40 years - and this was written in the early '60s - meets with doubt from Baldwin, and it's easy to see why. The rest of the essay is almost all the evidence you need to see why Obama's election was so remarkable. There's also a reference to "Senator Byrd," presumably the same Sen. Robert Byrd who had KKK leanings way back in the day and has since renounced those views. Minor, yes, but it made me cock my head and chuckle a bit.
As my first exposure to Baldwin's nonfiction, this was a great choice."
"Reading these two letters/essays makes me want to read Go Tell it on the Mountain again. I think it would add to my understanding of his discussion of the Black church within that narrative.
I found the first piece "Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" inspiring and heartfelt. In fact I think I want to begin my US History class this fall by reading it. Baldwin's letter to his nephew is written to acknowledge the injustice of living as a person on color in the US and to offer hope.
The second essay discusses the contradictions of trying to find a voice and power in a world constructed to disempower and marginalize. Through his experiences he tells how he witnessed and partook in attempts to define an identity that instead further entrenched him into a dynamic of disenfranchisement. I really like the nuances of his argument, which works to give a fair perspective.
It was nice to read Baldwin's work again; it is easy to lose sight of and forget oppression when living in such a "liberal"/dynamic place as Brooklyn. Although, I will say that Baldwin's astute observations are definitely from a particular male perspective."
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