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Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own
Top of the pile
80
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
92/100Critics
50/100Scholars
98/100Author:
Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
Publisher:
Crown/Random House/Penguin Random House LLC
Date:
June 30, 2020
James Baldwin grew disillusioned by the failure of the civil rights movement to force America to confront its lies about race. In our own moment, when that confrontation feels more urgently needed than ever, what can we learn from his struggle? Begin Again follows Baldwin's life and work, to bear witness to the difficult truth of race in America today.
What The Reviewers Say
... a book that is perfect for Baldwin aficionados or anyone experiencing staggering disbelief at America’s state of disarray and trying to make sense of it. What sets this account apart is that Glaude understands how Baldwin’s writing becomes a pathway for one’s own thoughts; he’s able to synthesise the novelist’s work in a way that transcends summation or homage and becomes instead an act of breathtaking literary assimilation that acquires its own generative power.
Glaude is more explicit about looking to Baldwin not just for perspective and inspiration but for instruction and guidance.
... a potent meditation on the enduring legacy of Baldwin’s life and thought, a New York Times bestseller and one of a number of titles that have spoken to the soul of public outrage at George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis last May.
The strength of Glaude’s book depends on how well he makes the case that Baldwin speaks directly to our times.
