The Fire Next Time

At once a powerful evocation of his early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice to both the individual and the body politic, James Baldwin galvanized the nation in the early days of the civil rights movement with his eloquent manifesto. The Fire Next Time stands as one of the essential works of our literature.

"By far one of the best works I've ever read" according to Erin. Growing up as the daughter of white parents in the Deep South, while my parents did everything in their power to try and keep us from using racial slurs, there was so much racism imbedded in the area that it was nearly impossible to fight it. It ranged from the blatant to the subtle, and it stuck in ways that I will probably be discovering for the rest of my life. Baldwin touches upon the use of religion to control, and the belief that the white man is the marker to which the black. "Must Read for All Americans" according to KarenEvans. This is a book to read with a pen! My copy, brand new, and fresh from the mailbox now has underlining everywhere and notes filling the margins. The language is beautiful in this book and there is a lot of wisdom to gather. This is my first James Baldwin and I crave more!The book consists of two letters, a short one written to a nephew and a longer one written to discuss his thoughts and feelings about race, religion, and life. This is the most beautiful description in the entire bo. "Essential" according to Jessica Weil. A beautifully crafted, emotionally and intellectually charged plea to the American people during the nascent Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin writes with passion, candor, desperation and hope, providing critical insight into the realities of being black in America. He conveys a clear sense of urgency, challenging Americans to reckon with the legacy of racism and reject the delusion that skin color determines value or worth.Perhaps most surprising to me in reading Baldwin for the firs

He also reprised his role in the film adaptation. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, received excellent reviews and was immediately recognized as establishing a profound and permanent new voice in American letters. "Tom" Collins in Jonathan Larson's award-winning musical Rent. It became a national bestseller, and Baldwin was featured on the cover of Time. The appearance of The Fire Next Time in 1963, just as the civil rights movement was exploding across the American South, galvanized the nation and continues to reverberate as perhaps the most prophetic and defining statement ever written of the

In the theater, Martin originated the role of Thomas B. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, received excellent reviews and was immediately recognized as establishing a profound and permanent new voice in American letters. His other collaborations include A Rap on Race with Margaret Mead and A Dialogue with the poet-activis