A collection of James Baldwin’s writings that speaks urgently to our current era of racial injustice, with an introduction by prominent Baldwin scholar Rich Blint
In his unforgettable, incandescent essays and poetry, James Baldwin diagnosed the racial injustices of the twentieth century and illuminated the struggles and triumphs of African Americans. Now, in our current age of persistent racial injustice and the renewed spirit of activism represented by the Black Lives Matter movement, Baldwin’s insights are more urgent than ever. Baldwin for Our Times features incisive essay selections from Notes of a Native Son and searing poetry from Jimmy’s Blues—writing to turn to for wisdom and strength as we seek to understand and confront the injustices of our times.
“He named for me the things you feel but couldn’t utter…articulated for the first time to white America what it meant to be American and a black American at the same time.” —Henry Louis Gates Jr.
“The wonderful thing about writers like Baldwin is the way we read them and come across passages that are so arresting we become breathless and have to raise our eyes from the page to keep from being spirited away.” —Edward P. Jones
“James Baldwin was born for truth. It called upon him to tell it on the mountains, to preach it in Harlem, to sing it on the Left Bank in Paris. His honesty and courage would lead him to see truth and to write truth in poetry, drama, fiction and essay. He was a giant.” —Maya Angelou