A READER’S GUIDE TO JAMES BALDWIN

Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953)

In his first novel, Baldwin penned a semi-autobiographical story about a boy named John Grimes, a teen growing up in 1930s Harlem who struggles with self-identity as the stepson of a strict Pentecostal minister. The story mirrors the author's own life; Baldwin, too was raised by a stepfather who served as a Baptist pastor."Mountain is the book I had to write if I was ever going to write anything else,'' he told  the  New  York  Times in 1985. ''I had to deal with what hurt me most. I had to deal, above all, with my father."

Notes of a Native Son (1955)

In this collection of essays, the writer captured the complexities of being Black in America during the first rumblings of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s. Throughout his observations, Baldwin both lamented the injustices in the African American community and showed empathy for the oppressor, establishing himself as a key voice in the movement. In a  1958 New York Times  review of Notes of a Native Son, African American poet Langston Hughes said this of Baldwin's words: "America and the world might as well have a major contemporary commentator."

Giovanni's Room (1956)

A landmark novel in American literature, Giovanni's Room follows an American man living in Paris who struggles with understanding his sexuality as he deals with the societal pressures of masculinity—all as he begins an affair with an Italian bartender named Giovanni.  The book, which is widely considered essential reading in the LGBTQ community, was  a  finalist  for the National Book Awards' fiction category in 1957.

Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes From a Native Son (1961)

In another collection of 23 culturally reflective essays, Baldwin highlights the complexity of discriminatory tensions in our society with words that are still just as poignant and relevant today. A selection of Baldwin's new and revised works, many of the titles originally appeared in publications like Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. The essays earned him another spot as a finalist in the National Book Awards in 1962—this time in the nonfiction category.

Another Country (1962)

Set in New York City's Greenwich Village in the 1950s, Another Country explores themes of mental health, interracial relationships, love, and bisexuality as the story follows the lives of a group of friends in the wake of a suicide. After its release, many critics had mixed responses, with Paul Goodman of the New  York  Times  writing that while the story was "personal, sinuous yet definite" it was also "strained [and] sometimes journalistic or noisy." He did, however, acknowledge that his harsher review was as a result of Baldwin's previous work, which caused for a higher standard of criticism.

The Fire Next Time (1963)

Comprised of two essays that were originally published in The New Yorker—"My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation" and "Down At The Cross: Letter from a Region of My Mind"—in The Fire Next Time, Baldwin explains the place of both race and racism in society, while also examining and criticizing Christianity's role in American beliefs. At the time, critics saw this collection as a way for white Americans to (finally) get a look inside life was like as a Black citizen in this country.

Going to Meet the Man (1965)

A collection of eight short stories, this book delves into yet another set of cultural themes through its varied characters: a struggling jazz musician, an angry father, and a racist cop to name a few. Popular titles included are Sonny's Blues; This Morning, This Evening, So Soon; and The Man Child.

Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone (1968)

In this Baldwin novel, a fictional noted actor Leo Proudhammer nearly dies after suffering from a heart attack on stage. Throughout the rest of the novel, he reflects on the events of his life—both those that led him to fame, and those that revealed his weaknesses.

If Beale Street Could Talk (1974)

Now a Golden-Globe nominated film directed by Barry Jenkins, this classic novel follows young couple Fonny and Tish as they deal with the trial and jailing of Fonny, who is falsely accused of rape.  When speaking to The Atlantic  about what lead him to take the story to the big screen, Jenkins said, "Baldwin had a few voices that he wrote in, and one of those voices was just deeply sensual, innately in touch with human emotions... I think this book is the perfect fusion of the more essayistic protest novel and somebody who deeply believed in sensuality and love."

I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

In the years before his death, Baldwin envisioned a book about his friends Martin Luther King, Malcom X, and Medgar Evers—but never finished it. By combining an unpublished manuscript called Remember This House and varied excerpts from Baldwin's book, notes, interviews, and letters, Raul Peck edited and published the story that the literary great never got to see come to life. Peck also directed the 2017 Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name.

Notable James Baldwin Works

Essays
A Talk to Teachers
Nobody Knows My Name: More Notes of a Native Son
No Name in the Street
Notes of a Native Son
The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings
The Devil Finds Work
The Evidence of Things Not Found
The Price of the Ticket

Novels
Another Country
Giovanni's Room
Go Tell It on the Mountain
If Beale Street Could Talk
Just Above My Head
Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone