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Meike's Reviews > The Fire Next Time
The Fire Next Time
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"God gave Noah the rainbow sign,
No more water, the fire next time!"
First published in 1963, this book contains two texts:
� "My Dungeon Shook � Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation" is composed as a letter to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew in which he talks about the black experience in America;
� "Down At The Cross � Letter from a Region of My Mind" focuses on race and religion (it's very enlightening when it comes to finding out to what prompted Baldwin to write his famous semi-autobiographical novel Go Tell It on the Mountain) and also discusses how the racial divide could be overcome.
I was especially intrigued by the first text, which made me think of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, a book Coates wrote as a letter to his son Samori - Baldwin even uses the term "between the world and me" in his text. Googling further connections, I found out that after reading a galley of Between the World and Me, Toni Morrison wrote to Coates' editor: "I've been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died. Clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates." - now that's an endorsement.
So you should listen to Toni Morrison and read both Baldwin and Coates, because both of them are fantastic!
No more water, the fire next time!"
First published in 1963, this book contains two texts:
� "My Dungeon Shook � Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation" is composed as a letter to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew in which he talks about the black experience in America;
� "Down At The Cross � Letter from a Region of My Mind" focuses on race and religion (it's very enlightening when it comes to finding out to what prompted Baldwin to write his famous semi-autobiographical novel Go Tell It on the Mountain) and also discusses how the racial divide could be overcome.
I was especially intrigued by the first text, which made me think of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, a book Coates wrote as a letter to his son Samori - Baldwin even uses the term "between the world and me" in his text. Googling further connections, I found out that after reading a galley of Between the World and Me, Toni Morrison wrote to Coates' editor: "I've been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagued me after James Baldwin died. Clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates." - now that's an endorsement.
So you should listen to Toni Morrison and read both Baldwin and Coates, because both of them are fantastic!
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Sarah
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May 26, 2018 03:19AM
This one sounds so interesting! I loved Between the World and Me, so I expect I’ll enjoy this. Have you read Giovanni’s Room?
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Sarah wrote: "This one sounds so interesting! I loved Between the World and Me, so I expect I’ll enjoy this. Have you read Giovanni’s Room?"Oh yes, I also love Coates! I think if you liked Between the World and Me, you will also enjoy this one - it's interesting to compare the two, as one was published in 1963 and the other in 2015.
Unfortunately, I haven't read Giovanni's Room yet, but I know that I should - I just made a recommendation to my eLibrary to purchase it and while I was at it, I also placed a hold on We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy.
Have you read any Baldwin or "We Were Eight Years in Power" yet?
Thanks! It sounds like an interesting comparison. Ahh, that’s one I’ve been meaning to get my hands on for ages. I picked up a secondhand copy of Giovanni’s Room a while back, and I’ll be reading it as soon as I’m through with my (admittedly constantly growing) pile of library books!
Sarah wrote: "Thanks! It sounds like an interesting comparison. Ahh, that’s one I’ve been meaning to get my hands on for ages. I picked up a secondhand copy of Giovanni’s Room a while back, and I’ll be reading..."
Hahaha, I know that problem!! :-)
The greatest manifesto to emerge from the Black revolution.
