A black and white photo of author James Baldwin alongside a selection of his books

Where-to-start-with-James-Baldwin

Reading lists

Where to start reading James Baldwin’s books

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

I loved Eddie Glaude's Begin Again. James Baldwin is a man for our moment: in a time of Black Lives Matter we've come to think about our past, our colonial history, enslavement, matters of race and identity. The beauty of this book is not just that it's deeply personal, but that it's also extraordinarily scholarly . . . You're left with an understanding of the extraordinary modernity, relevance and the immense power of James Baldwin. It's a simply wonderful book

Begin Again is an essayistic marvel, circling and folding back on itself as Baldwin's musings in the past and Glaude's analysis of the present give meaning to each other . . . a scholarly, deeply personal, and yet immensely readable meditation, a masterful reckoning with the "latest betrayal" of the American ideal

Timely, powerful . . . Glaude invites us with him to "read Baldwin to the end" and reveals a writer, not spent, but rather illuminating the path beyond despair - the work of a saint if ever there was such a thing

A call to confront the truth and legacies of the traumatic birth of America . . . urgent . . . original

Begin Again is that rare thing: an instant classic

Pankaj Mishra, author of The Age of Anger

An unparalleled masterpiece of social criticism. Glaude thinks alongside America's finest essayist, matching the master's firepower, brilliance, courage, and sensitivity at every turn . . . breathtaking

Imani Perry, author of Breathe and Looking for Lorraine

Incredibly moving and stirring. Begin Again. . . underlines just how relevant and crucial Baldwin's work has always been and always will be

A powerful indictment of racial injustice in the US written in conversation with the writings of James Baldwin . . . whose wisdom should be part of our conversations today

Begin Again speaks to a global Black Lives Matter movement . . . A riveting read

Raymond Antrobus, author of The Perseverance

The magic of Begin Again is that it allows us to ponder Baldwin both in his perilous era and in our own. Remarkable, and remarkably relevant

Tracy K. Smith, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning Life on Mars

Begin Again is a groundbreaking and informative guide to Baldwin and his era

An urgent, deeply interesting book

Eddie Glaude has plunged to the profound depths and sublime heights of Baldwin's prophetic challenge to our present-day crisis. This book is, undoubtedly, the best treatment we have of Baldwin's genius and relevance . . . [a] masterpiece

Cornel West, author of Democracy Matters and Race Matters

A magnificent book filled with the type of passion, lyricism, and fire that James Baldwin commands and deserves. Eddie Glaude Jr. takes us on a unique and illuminating journey through Baldwin's life and writings by both physically and philosophically following in his footsteps. In this phenomenal work, we are treated to a timeless and spellbinding conversation between two brilliant writers, thinkers, and active witnesses, addressing issues - past, present, and future - that are necessary, urgent, and vital for our survival

Edwidge Danticat, author of Brother, I’m Dying and Everything Inside

Powerful . . . Baldwin did not expect or want history to be rewritten but, rather, honestly confronted

In this powerful and elegant book on James Baldwin, Eddie Glaude weaves together a biography, a meditation, a literary analysis, and a moral essay on America. Like Baldwin's own essays and books, it is at times both loving and angry, challenging and uplifting, and always beautiful. Both Baldwin and this book speak directly to today

Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs and Leonardo Da Vinci

A powerful study of how to bear witness in a moment when America is being called to do the same

Glaude's book is neither straight biography nor straight history, but rather historiography, reaching back and forth in time to show what Baldwin - whose centenary will be celebrated in 2024 - has to say to us and to teach us through his many writings at a time when "the idea of America is in deep trouble"

Fascinating . . . An urgent and honest overview of Baldwin's work

James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Today

*THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* 
 
'A simply wonderful book' PHILIPPE SANDS 
 
'Begin Again is that rare thing: an instant classic' PANKAJ MISHRA 
 
'Incredibly moving and stirring' DIANA EVANS 
 
America is at a crossroads. 
 
Drawing insight and inspiration from Baldwin's writings, Glaude suggests we can find hope and guidance through an era of shattered promises and white retrenchment. Seamlessly combining biography with history, memoir and trenchant analysis of our moment, Begin Again bears witness to the difficult truth of race in America. It is at once a searing exploration that lays bare the tangled web of race, trauma and memory, and a powerful interrogation of what we all must ask of ourselves in order to call forth a more just future. 
 
'An essayistic marvel . . . deeply personal and yet immensely readable' SARA COLLINS, GUARDIAN 
 
'An urgent, deeply interesting book' RACHEL COOKE, OBSERVER 
 
Winner of the Stowe Prize 2021 
Shortlisted for the British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding 2021

Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Articles featuring Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Where to start reading James Baldwin’s books

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