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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Comments (21)
The Fire Next Time