James Baldwin
Book description
James Baldwin was a uniquely prophetic voice in American letters. His brilliant and provocative essays made him the literary voice of the Civil Rights Era, and they continue to speak with powerful urgency to us today, whether in the swirling debate over the Black Lives Matter movement or in the…
Why read it?
2 authors picked James Baldwin as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Baldwin is, I believe, our best essayist. His work stands the test of time and always will. Here you have a writer who can combines heart and brain gracefully and with great humanity.
I am recommending this book because one can’t understand power without being beholden to it systemically and repeatedly, all the while dissecting power’s discontents. Baldwin’s words may seem to strike only to America’s core, but every marginalized person will find truth in them. As an Egyptologist, I rely on Baldwin to tell me what oppressed people in an authoritarian regime thought but could not commit to paper.
From Kara's list on power and the powerless.
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