The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin

The Fire Next Time

By James Baldwin

  • Release Date: 1992-12-01
  • Genre: Political Science
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 693 Ratings

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movementin the 1960s—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • "The finest essay I’ve ever read.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates

At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two "letters," written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism. 

Described by The New York Times Book Review as "sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle … all presented in searing, brilliant prose," The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of literature.

Reviews

  • Fire inside

    5
    By OSU 80
    If it doesn’t move you to re-examine who and where we are going, nothing will
  • Loved it

    5
    By CoachMarlana
    Powerful
  • Lasting Impact

    5
    By gakingmusic
    The Fire Next Time has been on my to-read list for awhile because it is referred to frequently by one of my favorite authors, Ta-Nehisi Coates. I finally got to it this summer and really enjoyed a deeper glimpse into the African-American perspective of the 20th century. I see now where Ta-Nehisi Coates gets it from: the soulful, forward-moving cadence, the paragraph-long sentences, the pages-long paragraphs, the seamless flow between intelligence and emotion, as if someone transcribed a John Coltrane ballad and translated the notation into the English language. See what I did there? All this sentence needs is 20 more long, flowing sentences like it, streamed together into a 3-page-long paragraph, then I will have the Baldwin/Coates writing style down. And like Coates, Baldwin's writing is thoughtful and full of feeling. He shares his experiences and reactions to racism without filtration or apology. There are many quotations I noted in here that I will keep pulling back out to contemplate. While short in word-count, this book is plenty heavy and will leave a lasting effect on any reader who wants to empathize and understand the Black experience in America.
  • God Gave Noah The Rainbow Sign

    5
    By Sunsta8
    Unmatched in his analysis and call to action for Americans and really people around the world.
  • W

    5
    By 83will
    Good book
  • Wow

    5
    By Dacamwill
    This book was exceptional. I believe that it should be part of the curriculum in some if not all high schools. This is the basis of who we are as a people.
  • Beautifully profound

    5
    By Searose71
    A must read. The relevance and parallel of our lives today A brilliant writer whose words & knowledge flow masterfully poetic.
  • THIS SH!%*T IS GOOD

    5
    By gimpy jr
    EXCELLENCE
  • Great Read

    5
    By Little Bit Of Flexin
    I first read this book in high school, but rereading it as an adult has taught me more about myself and the world around me than it did when I was in high school.
  • Reading in 2020

    5
    By blkboyleftUS
    Reading this amazing short story from James Baldwin in 2020 was very eye opening and I’m very glad to have read it and now add it to my collection, will definitely reread at some point.