Comments (21)

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Jun 21, 2023paulcolucci rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Baldwin's brilliance is on full display as he meticulously exposes the hypocrisy of white America, the exploitations of religious institutions, and the zealousness of ideologues.
Oct 02, 2022
The Fire Next Time is a collection of essays written by James Baldwin, an African-American writer that wrote about race, society, politics, and the Civil Rights movement. The Fire Next Time is one of his most famous books and it is the…
Apr 19, 20221aa rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The two essays in this rather famous little volume are quite different from each other. The first, very short, is a letter to his nephew, giving advice :"know whence you came. If you know whence you came, there is no limit to where you can…
Aug 09, 2021FPL_Amy rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
James Baldwin will make you think and question. Something we should all be doing more.
Jun 11, 2021AaronAardvark1940 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This small book contains two essays. The second essay is subtitled “Letter From a Region in My Mind.” It is autobiographical in nature, covering certain periods in his life during which he came to understand the lies that he believed (and…
May 27, 2021taedwardcc rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Fire Next Time, an evocative novel written by James Baldwin, is a compilation of two of his essays written in the 1960s expressing his powerful opinions on the ongoing racial conflicts. Throughout the two letters, he makes sure to…
Apr 04, 2021SiriusPutsch rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
An incredible work of art; aesthetically, spiritually, and politically of the utmost relevance.
Feb 08, 2021LCPL_Vivian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin withstands the test of time. It's the perfect book to read for Black History Month. He talks about his journey with racism while being a young minister for the Christian church, and how America…
Oct 07, 2020MillieBT rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is my first book but not my last. Informative!!!!!
Sep 26, 2020
Fire Next Time by Baldwin is very relevant for 2020, even though it was written in 1962. I read this now to prepare to read Fire This Time by Ward.
Aug 22, 2020
106 pages
Jul 05, 20201tarheel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I started with Baldwin with 'I Am Not Your Negro,' so it's easy for me to see how closely his writing follows his speaking (and actually 'preaching') style. Some find this elliptical, I think. I find it energizing. His insights into the…
Jun 24, 2020JCLBetM rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Sadly this 1963 book seems like it could be newly written today. I've always heard of James Baldwin, but this is the first bit of his writing I've read -- and it won't be the last. His honest, precise voice keeps the reader face to face…
Jul 07, 2018taylj9 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
There's no doubt that Baldwin was ahead of his time for sure. This book, written as a letter to his nephew, demonstrates what an incredible and talented mind he was. Baldwin's writing is reflective and critical of topics such as race…
Jun 22, 2018
This book is a wake-up call to white people. Baldwin shows how white people have used Christianity and the illusionary belief in their own superiority to debase people of color all thru our inglorious history. What white people have…
Jun 09, 2018
James Baldwin had to go to Paris and get away from our society drenched in racism, in order to go deep enough to find his true voice. He refuses to let whites label him and directly takes on the sickness of white superiority. James Baldwin…
Nov 06, 2017seaxfamx rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A wonderful reminder of some of Baldwin's important ideas.
Aug 02, 2016KCLSJessicaH rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Read this!
michellebroome2008
Oct 26, 2015
A beautifully written call to action to end racism... I wish I could have met Mr. Baldwin.
Aug 31, 2015mrjones7 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
True perspective of what it means to be Black in America. Not much has changed since Mr. Baldwin wrote this book.
Dec 03, 2013lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
An urgent, incisive long essay that mixes autobiography with observations on race. Noteworthy is a meeting with Elijah Muhammad and a young Malcolm X.