James Baldwin : Collected Essays : Notes of a Native Son / Nobody Knows My Name / The Fire Next Time / No Name in the Street / The Devil Finds Work / Other Essays (Library of America)

On the advice of a friend I bought this collection and started with The Fire Next Time. After reading the opening "My Dungeon Shook" I was stunned into absolute stillness. I knew what I had just read was truly the work of a genius, and I realized the concept of America as I understood it was missing a large piece of its reality, and Baldwin was the man who caused the scales to fall from my eyes.There really isn't a parallel I can draw that would describe the sensation of realizing that, having grown up in a nearly all-white town, and having almost exclusively white friends, I was living my life blithely unaware of the reality of millions of my fellow Americans. It's been more of Baldwin's writing that made me aware that the racism that was bred into me, by basically neglecting other races' realities, was kept hidden from my conscious mind by design; as well as the fact that it's harmful to all races (my own included) when we allow racism to run unchecked through our veins.To cut it down to a shoutable slogan, take his words: Black men don't have mid-life crises. It is immediately understandable what that means; they were never promised that the world was theirs' for the taking. They weren't told they could be anything they wanted when they were young the way I was. And therefore when they're in their mid-thirties they don't have an existential crisis because they aren't wealthy and famous. This is a white phenomenon. The same reason goes for why white men take the lead in suicides and deaths of despair. When a group of people are raised believing they deserve a larger piece of the pie than another group of people... it never ends well; for themselves, or for those who feel their wrath when they realize they're just another working stiff.And these revelations were just the beginning of what I have learned from Baldwin. I'd also add the book The Radical King to a reading list if someone asked me about these topics. These should be required reading in my opinion.

Nice to have the 3 volumes and I especially like the ribbon book marker that is part of the binding.

I'd read Baldwin's "The Fire Next Time" a few years ago in one of the Library of America's volumes of reporting on the civil rights movement and was blown away by the sheer brilliance and power of his writing. "The Fire Next Time" is included in this collection, but there's a whole lot more here, much of it every bit as powerful as "Fire." There's an intensity to Baldwin's essays that forces you to confront many of the terrible truths that lie just below the surface of American life but that we must face up to if we are ever to realize the true vision embodied in America's founding principles. In some respects, it may appear that we've made progress since Baldwin wrote these essays, but I'm sure that if he were still with us, he'd be the first to point out that much of that progress is in fact superficial and illusory, and that we've still got a very long way to go.

You think you understand something of what it is to be black in America. If you're not black, reading--listening--to Baldwin's essays will first, break your heart. It will also make you angry that our efforts to end racism fall so far short. Why can't we fix this? Why can't we end racism. "Race" is a completely artificial construct. We made it up. We tell millions of people--children, women, men--that they are less, they are inferior because of the amount of melanin in their skin compared to ours. We reinforce that message in every way, endlessly. We have sinned, and we continue to soft-pedal what we've done to our fellow Americans. White Americans will never be free until black Americans are recognized as equals.

Baldwin was impressively insightful. He explained a great deal about racism that I (an old white man) had a good hunch about but did not fully understand -- especially not the "why" and the "how".The scary part is that Baldwin wrote this all down for us half a century ago, yet we did nothing to correct it. Hopefully, that is beginning to happen now.Highly recommended for all "us honkys".Just be aware that Baldwin wrote in long and complex sentences, so it may take you a chapter or two before you are up to speed on his style. Very much worth the effort, though, and as a bonus you will learn better English just from reading him.

I'd heard about James Baldwin, and I read some of his fiction, but he is at his best as an essayist. Clear, concise, insightful, and just a great writer. If you want to read some really excellent writing, this is the guy and this is the book. The topics are once again timely even if 40-50 years have gone by. He nails it, and even on the other topics, his writing is spot on. You will learn not just about the topic, but about how well someone can write about it. Read and learn

This is a beautiful volume of essays by the great James Baldwin, in perfect condition, and it arrived well packaged and protected. Fast service. Thank you very much!

In a world where racism, identity issues, "white mythologies" and freedom of speech are at the center of the debate, James Baldwin is an author that one should revisit, for the pleasure of reading wonderful prose and being confronted with an insightful mindset.