The Fire Next Time
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4.4 • 680 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movementin the 1960s—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • "The finest essay I’ve ever read.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates
At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two "letters," written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism.
Described by The New York Times Book Review as "sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle … all presented in searing, brilliant prose," The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of literature.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Originally published in 1963, James Baldwin’s arresting look at the state of racism in America is so searingly on point, it could have been written yesterday. One of the most respected voices in 20th-century American literature, Baldwin offers his view through two groundbreaking essays. One is a moving autobiographical account of his childhood in Harlem. The other explores the inequalities he encountered as a Black man in 1960s America. Baldwin’s striking prose feels like a powerful sermon, and each thought resonates deep in our bones. With bold honesty and an eloquent sense of righteous frustration, he justifies every ounce of his anger through clear descriptions of injustices that still sound all too familiar today. While his ultimate message is one of love and unity, The Fire Next Time seethes with a sense of righteous, cleansing fury.
Customer Reviews
Loved it
Powerful
Lasting Impact
The Fire Next Time has been on my to-read list for awhile because it is referred to frequently by one of my favorite authors, Ta-Nehisi Coates. I finally got to it this summer and really enjoyed a deeper glimpse into the African-American perspective of the 20th century.
I see now where Ta-Nehisi Coates gets it from: the soulful, forward-moving cadence, the paragraph-long sentences, the pages-long paragraphs, the seamless flow between intelligence and emotion, as if someone transcribed a John Coltrane ballad and translated the notation into the English language. See what I did there? All this sentence needs is 20 more long, flowing sentences like it, streamed together into a 3-page-long paragraph, then I will have the Baldwin/Coates writing style down.
And like Coates, Baldwin's writing is thoughtful and full of feeling. He shares his experiences and reactions to racism without filtration or apology. There are many quotations I noted in here that I will keep pulling back out to contemplate. While short in word-count, this book is plenty heavy and will leave a lasting effect on any reader who wants to empathize and understand the Black experience in America.
God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign
Unmatched in his analysis and call to action for Americans and really people around the world.