The Fire Next Time
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90 reviews for The Fire Next Time
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Bernice Barnes –
This book arrived on time. Received in good condition.
Irene K. Neumann –
I liked the brutal honesty of this short piece written by a celebrated author. I learned what anger turned to hope looks like. I can recommend this book to any book club or individual seeking historical perspective on being black in America. Get ready to be inspired and reminded why we must work together and love one another to realize the promise of this great country.
Maurice Miles Martinez –
This book is a classic. Like my book, The Real Wakandas of Africa it deals with the Civil Rights Movement and race in America. James Baldwin was a contemporary of many of the great civil rights leaders. In fact, he often shared television interviews with some of these leaders. In many ways, this is what makes this book so engaging. James Baldwin gives you his analysis of an important portion of black history. However, this is not from some distant position. Once the reader understands that James Baldwin was actually there, this book becomes even more important. To add to this, unlike many other works gloss over Malcolm X, he discusses both Dr. King and Malcolm X. Similar to this work, I also discuss racism in my book The Real Wakandas of Africa. However, I include a discussion of the rich history of African people prior to racism and before colonialism. Before slavery, Africans constructed the tallest building in the world. It stood as the tallest building for more than 4000 years. Africans were able to engineer and conduct surgery on the eye to remove cataracts 700 years ago. They did cesarean sections in Central Africa with antiseptics hundreds of years before they were performed in Europe or America. To add to this, they smelted carbon steel 2000 years before Americans or Europeans learned this process. They were able to chart star systems for hundreds of years before they were known by scientists in America. Africans also built the longest wall in the world for which I also wrote a book called: The Great Wall of Africa: The Empire of Benin’s 10,000 Mile Long Wall. Too frequently, this history has been ignored by books that discuss racism, and the exclusion of this information adds to people’s misunderstanding of Black history. Baldwin’s book is a classic. If you are looking for a unique perspective on Black history and the 1960s then pick up your copy today!
Bridgette Walker –
By listening to the sample audio part of The Fire Next Time, I know this is going to be a book read. This is my first of many James Baldwin’s books
Angshuman Guha –
James Baldwin is something else. In this book, he rides on logical reasoning and a deep understanding of history, but goes beyond it to some place more profound. Sometimes in his writing he seems to take leaps of faith. As a reader, I get surprised. “How does infer that?” I wonder. Then I understand. I am compelled to follow him in his narrative like a disciple. He is without parallel.
Charles Capen –
I don’t believe I have the right nor the resource to adequately give a review about such a titan of a writer as James Baldwin. But I would like to say a few words about what I’ll take with me after reading “The Fire Next Time.”Though it is a truism that we should seek equality for all, Baldwin reframes this goal and, most notably, for White America. In our hasty and ill-gotten road to overwhelming privilege, white people in my position have attempted wrongly to make Black America our equal. The truth is we are far more inept and malicious and weak despite our accumulation of perceived power. History bears this out. Our goal should be to seek inspiration in, provide support to, and attempt to exude the grace of the swath of people we’ve subjugated for no reason beyond our addiction to power and a persistent pattern of cruelty.The name Baldwin comes from the root words of “Bold/Courageous” and Friend. Though that name was likely given through slave ownership, I’d like to think he’s defined that namesake more truly than it ever was before. Thank you for your words, Mr. Baldwin.
ShayMo29 –
One of my favorite books to read. It is call to humanity for change. A warning to humanity if we don’t change. It’s not about black and white but it is about community. How we see and respect one another. We are intimately intwined together as a society and community. We must acknowledge are fates have been sealed together since the beginning of time. Highly highly recommend
Margo –
By the time I was in high school and college, James Baldwin’s works may have been considered to be “old news”. Or perhaps systemic racism was simply at play and all of my instructors considered only white writers to have written the classics. Whatever the reason I was never directed to his works, I don’t know, but I’m glad that I heard someone reading a short excerpt of his work on NPR a couple of years ago. When I heard it, I wrote on my list of books to read “anything by James Baldwin”. In “The Fire Next Time”, his style is almost a stream on consciousness, complete with sentences that go on for quite some time. But one never seems to feel lost as to what the point is. Perhaps because his use of words is lush, vibrant, palpable and familiar. His prophetic statements still ring true today, which is both unfortunate and fortunate. Unfortunate that nearly 60 years on and we’re still wrestling with these demons. Fortunate in that he holds out hope for us blind, deaf and dumb white people.
JJ Anderson –
It’s a short book but full of compelling information. Everyone should read this book at least once.
Courtney Flowers –
Book came in great condition
Austin –
As a white man, I find it extremely helpful to read Baldwin to better understand the black experience in America.
Star –
This was a deeply moving essay (and letter) by Baldwin that illuminates through his musical style the race issues that have plagued America for the last 400 years (when slaves were first brought here). He delves into issues regarding religion and race (both muslim and christian), the realities of growing up in Harlem, philosophical thoughts regarding white Americans, and also a warning to both sides (if things don’t get better).Even though this was written in the 60’s, I found this piece to be just as relevant today and am of the opinion that this book NEEDS to be read or part of the school curriculum. Baldwin’s prose alone would mark him as one of the greatest American writers (in my opinion), but also the richness of his arguments and thoughts make this a hands down must read.
Erin –
Growing up as the daughter of white parents in the Deep South, while my parents did everything in their power to try and keep us from using racial slurs, there was so much racism imbedded in the area that it was nearly impossible to fight it. It ranged from the blatant to the subtle, and it stuck in ways that I will probably be discovering for the rest of my life. Baldwin touches upon the use of religion to control, and the belief that the white man is the marker to which the black man should aspire, and that is still very clear in the world… As black men and women are told that their natural hair should be tamed to make them more appropriate for the work place, that the vernacular of their homes and families is somehow uneducated, even as they are surrounded by people who code-switch from a redneck southern dialect or a tough talking New York slang at home, to proper grammar in the workplace. At the end of the day, no one should aspire to whiteness. Instead, all should aspire to be the best they can be of exactly who they are.This book, brilliantly written, greatly rocked my way of thinking. James Baldwin’s grasp of humanity is one of the most realistic I’ve ever seen. He sees it and tells it just as it is.
springsthings –
Wow! I enjoyed this book immensely! I should’ve read it years ago. If you have ever questioned whether faith is just another system of oppression, this book may be for you.
Frank Donnelly –
“The Fire Next Time” is a very deep and personal work about race relations in America, both in general and as it pertains to the author, Jame Baldwin. Personally, I was mesmerized by the work. I found it somewhat painful, therefore to say I “enjoyed it” seems inappropriate. I feel it is excellent and I intend to re read it.The work is comprised of two parts. The first is a letter to his 14 year old nephew. It is not lengthy. The second part is an essay about the youth of the author, religion, and race relations in America. Although written in 1963 at the Centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, it seems as relevant now as in 1963.I study African American literature and culture as a specific interest, but not to the exclusion of other literature. In regard to African American Literature, James Baldwin is high on my personal list of favorite authors after James Weldon Johnson. This particular work is deep and erudite. Mostly it is clearly written. There are some philosophical aspects to this work that I need to mull over and re read.I need to say that many of Mister Baldwin’s observations and experiences ring true with me. As a retired police officer, some of the experiences alleged by Mister Baldwin makes me ill. I wish to say I never did anything like what Mister Baldwin describes, I never witnessed anything like he describes, and would not have allowed it. Nonetheless I believe these things happen.On the other hand, Mister Baldwin describes apparent misconduct and no onlookers intervene. That I have witnessed. I feel actual moral courage is in short supply in all matters, not just Race. When I was senior enough to have my own work station, I kept a poem”First They Came for The Jews” by Martin Niemoller on the wall above my desk.In summary, I found this to be a compelling work by an excellent author. There are parts of this work I need to think about. I fully intend to re read the entire work. Thank You for taking the time to read this review.
Abigail –
A stunning diagnosis on the nature of white and black men and women. He takes the reader on a journey—quite stream of consciousness like—and just when it gets really dark and bleak, he provides a flicker of light to guide the reader. I love the ending. It is a call to action filled with hope.
Jason Dias –
There’s no way to not suffer. That’s what he believes, and so he walks you through a garden of suffering regarding American midcentury race relations. Since you can’t not suffer, you may as well look to the beauty at the end of the path.This extended essay begins with a letter to his son. The beauty filled me with tears from beginning to end.
V. Hess –
Baldwin had the eyes and soul to peer through history, heart aches, and personalities famous or homeless. In 2020, we have seen much more of the delusions and difficulties that he saw over his whole life. This is a worthwhile disturbing confrontation through Baldwin,s poetic and clarifying views of prejudices and choices in the United States.
Hannah P. –
My first James Baldwin book and a great place to start. His writing is absolutely lovely. When things around me felt heated, his love brought be back to earth.
J. Crown –
As someone who “grew up” around the world and in the presence of a rainbow of people and cultures and then became a teacher, this book broke my heart while making it whole. I wish in my wildest dreams that this book was mandatory reading for the world. It speaks to more than just for and to the black american community, it speaks to anyone and everyone who is ready to listen. Baldwin’s insights and anecdotes provide a steady glow in the readers mind to be fanned with deep thinking and self reflection. He so perfectly captures my many of my own thoughts, feelings, and musings and elucidates them in ways I have never been able to. I wish I wish I wish I could have had the opportunity to meet this incredible man. The introductory letter from his uncle is proof that this beautifully gifting writing courses through the veins of the Baldwin family. I love this book (it is actually two shorter pieces quilted together and it’s perfect).
Carol V Moore –
For me it was a re-read.
Amazon Customer –
Short read but very dense with meaning. Great book and good quality to be a paper back.
Kay L. –
Excellent book; I love Mr. Baldwin’s writing style. This was a very interesting read. The various complexities of Mr. Baldwin’s own experience and realities that he talks about in depth are ones that I’ve grappled with in thought during our present time. His reflections are very thoughtful as he swims deep in topics of black self identity, religion, American white supremacy, etc. His life experiences and thoughts as a Black man of his time sadly mirrors those of today; as much as times have changed are as much as they’ve stayed the same. This book, The Fire Next Time, fuels readers to think deeply about our own present time and to confront the realities of it with raw transparency; no sugar coating added.
Frank –
Bought this for a Comparative Literature class. Cheaper than the college bookstore, easier than the library and no worries about return dates. A must read classic that I might not have gotten around to reading if not for this class.
Danielle –
Please support this book and the author in general.
Timothy Haugh –
As readers of my reviews know, I rarely comment on books that are well-known classics (as this is); however, I wanted to write a few lines about this book. First, it is an important historical document. Mr. Baldwin is recording life as he experienced it. I found his description of an evening with Elijah Muhammad endlessly fascinating, as I noted also his comments on Malcolm X before he broke with Muhammad. Second, there is no denying the power and passion in his prose. I have rarely come across an essay/memoir where the fire lights every page, like it does here. One may argue with some of Mr. Baldwin’s observations and conclusions and I do think the world has changed somewhat since this book was written (if, for the better, it is with some thanks to writers like Mr. Baldwin), but this is a book that still has much to offer a reader.
Stephanie Catmull –
Baldwin is at his best here, wrestling with his dualistic thoughts on the white man/negro issues in 1963 during the Civil Rights movement. He recounts his meetings with Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad after being completely disillusioned with the hypocrisy of the Christian churches, which he equates – understandably – to a white European power grab that suppresses minorities in order to keep their power. What I love about Baldwin, however, is that he recognizes this as a thoroughly “man” issue, and no matter what group holds power, they will mistreat, oppress, and suppress those underneath them. Because of this, he realizes that the Nation of Islam movement had the exact same aims, just with a different color, and while he respected their beliefs, he chose not to become immersed in the mirror image of what he was experiencing. I also love that even though he suffered severe prejudice and discrimination, he was able to see that not all white people are a certain way, just like not all black people are the same. He knew it was pointless to bring in any anecdotal evidence…”but I have white friends that are not like this” because he would be shouted down by both sides.He even brings out the point that the Neo-Nazi party contributed to the Nation of Islam because they had the same goal – to stay in power at the expense of others, and those others are “of the devil.” He also quoted Bobby Kennedy that a black man would be able to be President one day, though Baldwin completely disagreed with this . I wish he had been alive to witness this, and perhaps this would have given him hope that not all is lost between the races.I appreciate and learned so much from him. Baldwin is incredibly eloquent, even more so in his novels, but this short synopsis is by far one of his most important works that will stay with me a very, very long time.
Tim –
Baldwin’s ability to analyze the mutual dependencies of American “Negroes” and their “white” counterparts on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the emancipation makes this essay a classic of high merit. He succinctly describes the humanness of those surviving slavery and Jim Crow segregation by their adroitness at negotiating life in a second-class role in the world where they hold the key to liberation and deliverance for the whole of society. For white readers this book helps turn on the lights to understanding what Black America knows intrinsically. A must-read in the era of Black Lives Matter, for those who seek a deeper understanding of racial dynamics in the U.S.
Kindle Customer –
This book was written by one of the world’s most important literary genius’s. He brilliantly discusses and defines the problem of racism. Moreover; he presents a dignified solution to a serious condition in America. That solution being tolerance without denial and an open mindedness to better relations as a result of love.
S. Tree –
Brilliant prose. My problem is that the book ended abruptly at page 82. The remaining 20 or so pages were a reprise of the initial 20. I am left hungering for the final words and will have to find a complete copy somewhere
Family of Five –
Decades later, the America that Baldwin describes still exists. Even an Obama presidency and a black woman as one of the best known and wealthiest people in the country has changed little. This book is a call to awaken. White children seem to know the message without reading it. If we can avoid cleansing them of that humility, perhaps we an awaken America to the potential Baldwin saw before it all goes up in flames. Every adult should read this book.
Darcy Infante Kimatian –
James Baldwin speaks with personal knowledge of race issues that are as relevant today as when he wrote The Fire Next Time. He speaks with wisdom and feeling. I would call his reading the fire within. Well worth the listen, especially in light of the BLM movement.
MacW –
Easy read. Thought provoking. Great rendition of the truth! The truth will set us free if we depart from our pride.
Janet Morrison-Lane –
There is so much depth in Baldwin’s writing. It’s fairly easy to read, but needs to be read several times in order to grasp all that he’s saying. There are so many nuggets of wisdom throughout this book. I felt like this book helped me think more about how my whiteness impacts my psyche and how that psyche causes White power to play out in ways I don’t often think about or consider. He does this all in a way that does not show spite (which I think is what gets attributed…wrongly…to black people who talk about white supremacy and power), but simply reflection.
Corbin Pevey –
James Baldwin predicted the summer we just experienced. The culmination of too many murders and injustices exploded the powder keg of righteous anger with the video of George Floyd’s murder.I read this book for an online discussion I’m having in a few weeks.
Annabelle Bailey –
Stunning portrait of American reality by Baldwin. The text in this edition was also rather large and sparse per page, which made Baldwin’s incredibly dense writing easier to digest. Would recommend to any fans of Baldwin’s novels, or anyone trying to understand American racism.
J Scott –
James has a fascinating story. He’s someone to listen to and learn from. I would say he was a man before his time but that wouldn’t be accurate. He truly understood his time and his words help navigate ways in which we can respond injustice and racism today.James is brilliant and I have a lot more to learn from him!
Sara Mac –
Written in 1963 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, this book tackles Baldwin’s struggle with religion and his firsthand observations and experiences with racism. The book is a call to action saying that whites and blacks must rise up to fight back against systemic racism. It’s also a heartbreaking firsthand look at black life in Harlem in the 1960s. This is a short book that doesn’t take long to read, but the message is as relevant today as it was at first publication.
Hearty Vermonter –
Baldwin’s language is well suited to the task of carrying his insights and his passion, and to make clear the ways in which we whites have turned a blind eye toward the truth about our country’s racism. The sadness is that so little has changed over 50 years. We may have elected a black president, but our buried and deeply entrenched racism is still vigorous and pervasive. It is the responsibility of whites to educate themselves on this matter, since no number of black voices seems able to do the trick. And there is no shortage of insightful books on the topic. Still, best to begin, or begin again, with The Fire Next Time.
Tracey A. Reader –
James Baldwin’s writings are beautiful and sobering. It breaks my heart that his musings on race relations are still as relevant today as they were 30 to 40 plus years ago. I wish we still had his voice to turn to in these hard times. But, then that is selfish, for he has found his well deserved peace and it our duty to carry on the good fight. He was a true outspoken hero, that blessedly left his words of wisdom to help guide us. “Good night sweet prince and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest”.
cj7899 –
A masterpiece!And a must read for all the people.This book presented how the past racism will continue to exhibit itself unless here’s a more conscious effort to eradicate it.Mr. Baldwin, didn’t hold back on his viewpoints or personal experiences in dealing with racism he faced as a young person.
Jerry Woolpy –
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin, reviewed by Jerry WoolpyTa-Nehisi Coates cited this book as the inspiration for writing We Were Eight Years in Power, which is an updated and historically documented version of Baldwin’s eloquently expressed insights into the American Black situation. A situation that Blacks are in but that few are aware of and about which White Americans are clueless. That’s why all of us would do well to read Baldwin on this point. Race is obviously a blight on American History and a scourge on our democracy. We are reminded that unlike other immigrants who came to America by choice, Africans came in chains starting 400 years ago (coincidentally, the same number of years that the apocryphal Israelites were said to have been enslaved in Egypt). Moreover, the origin in slavery has labeled American Blacks in their minds and in the American culture in ways that neither has been able to overcome. Baldwin dreams the impossible dream that this can be overcome, and that Blacks and Whites will recognize the worthiness of Blacks in a society of equals.
Wood Hayman –
Timely and timeless. Highly recommended. Mr. Baldwin’s analysis is a poignant reflection of both his time and our time, this current time. He warned of the fire that is the current global health pandemic as it is ravaging the US and similarly socially structured countries. This is certainly a worthwhile contribution to anyone’s reading list for understanding the effects of racism in the US.
Pietro Calogero –
Baldwin’s love shines through as he condemns the racist world he lives through. At least as relevant to America in the 2020s as it was in the 1960s. This is where we learn what actual Americanness means.
EMC –
It was a topic of interest to me.
Kindle Customer –
Baldwin describes very personal pre-1970s experiences with racism, including his interactions with Malcom X and Elijah Muhammad, two critical black leaders that white people tended to fear rather than understand. As a white person, the historical context provides a broader perspective regarding the racism of the 2000s. On the one hand, its only been 50 years since the 1965 Civil Rights Act; yet on the other hand, its been 50 years since the Civil Right Act. Generations of older whites were raised in racist families, and unfortunately, subsequent generations of young people have grown up in racist families. How much longer will open racism and unacknowledged racial bias be the rule?An additional Baldwin focus is the frustration and hopelessness of millions of black men who see few occupational and educational opportunities, and have 100s of years of deathly experiences with white law enforcement. Baldwin’s letter to his nephew is far superior to Te-Nihisi Coates book.
Lamson –
In this era of MAGA ( I have a problem with “Again”) I wonder when the great revolution will. Will we see an era where “Make America Great” is possible and not an era of “White Christian National” “Fire Next Time is still timely
Elijah –
Baldwin’s words, though spoken over seventy years ago, reflect the destructive conditions of these times. Like Marvin Gay (inner city blues) and Richard Pryor many comedy scripts foresaw the ultimate destructive nature of the powers that be and the plight of the black men and women trapped on these shores.
Eddie –
An audacious and clinical dissection of the white American mindset as it relates to its black minority. Evidently, it culminates in a searing revelatory and damning expose of the most ugly truth about that mindset – it’s inner workings, weaknesses, fears, relentless torment (however denied) etc.Fortunately, as a serious-minded essay hinged on deeply insightful analysis, it is, at once, purgatory and redemptive.It proffers solutions so deceptively simple, but honest and workable, that they’ve stood the risk of being rejected since first published. And, to the utter chagrin of well-meaning Americans, have been, largely, rejected ever since.And therefore, for the same reasons, should be a compulsory read for peoples of all colours, and hopefully, approximate the fulcrum around which national atonement and rebirth should revolve, for America.
Swulfensmith –
Our American system doesn’t want to accept the truth of Baldwin’s words. White people are still trapped in the lie that they are better than black people. I say this as a white person.
Moorlady –
This book is fire. Baldwin’s assessment of race dynamics in the United States is incisive and as timely as ever. This was my first of his books, and it will certainly not be my last. A powerful pen, it is clear why Baldwin has been reckoned a key witness of the human experience. His observation which I found most moving was that discrimination morally corrupts the privileged. He eschewed such “privilege.”
Amazon Customer –
Wow. This book is intense, but oh so prevalent and important. Bought it for a class, to use as a basis for a critique. This is my first Baldwin book, and I intend to read his others. He points out so many relevant and truthful aspects of race, oppression, and society; he addresses intricacies that we may not even think of if we have never experienced them. But more importantly, he goes a step further to suggest ways to improve – society as a whole, whites, blacks, and everyone – to make it a more just world in which we live.
Amazon Customer –
Because I could only give 5 stars, that’s what I gave. I have been an avid reader for as long as i can remember (age of 3). I love EVERYTHING Mr. James Baldwin EVER wrote (would love to see his writings that were not published)!! I purchased this book to share with others and to speak on the life, talent, insight, and works of this awesome, articulate human-being. Janie D
Richard R. Stenton –
I love to read great prose and James Baldwin is one of the best. This is a fantastic dissertation on Black and White living conditions in the US. He gives personal history and growth through his life experiences to move from youth to religious devotion to asking more questions about reality and how love can be a bond and vengeance or separatism will not lead to a good solution. Just one must read for all colors and faiths.
Sean –
This is a short book only 130 pages. I found it deep and very thought provoking from the perspective of a black man from Harlem in the 60’s. The past reaches out from this book and touches the shoulder of the present asking it to turn around and look. I found myself highlighting continuous passages and then rereading them to set them into my mind for further thought. I suggest putting on some old jazz and pouring a glass of dark liquor and letting the words slip around in your mind like a moth looking for a resting place.I would say “enjoy” but in reality, I would rather encourage you to be provoked, troubled, and then enlightened
Jasmine –
This book tells indispensable truths about being black and white in America which many people do not want to hear nor see. It casts a light on the ugliness of the country and how blacks are integral part of the country itself. It’s a beautiful thought process written by a beautiful man who sought love to dispense hate. It is self-reflective and astounding to read. I would recommend it to absolutely everyone. I have a few pages with highlighted quotes and dog ears because I love the way Mr. Baldwin used words. Putting emphasis on the fact that we need to stop putting significance or emphasis on color.
Glen Zorn –
i read this book in one afternoon, just could not put it down. the last (and first) time i read this book was in high school (50+ years ago) & it is better than i remembered it. highly recommended!
Frazier –
This first came out in 1963, but it could have been written last year. It was written as a letter to a namesake grandson on the 100th anniversary of the emancipation. I re-read it after our church book club read Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to be an Antiracist”. It is at once both helpful and depressing that this book came out when I was a junior in high school and we are still dealing with this….
KarenEvans –
This is a book to read with a pen! My copy, brand new, and fresh from the mailbox now has underlining everywhere and notes filling the margins. The language is beautiful in this book and there is a lot of wisdom to gather. This is my first James Baldwin and I crave more!The book consists of two letters, a short one written to a nephew and a longer one written to discuss his thoughts and feelings about race, religion, and life. This is the most beautiful description in the entire book. I cannot possibly think of a more exquisite way to word how James sees his brother and how we often see those we have watched grow up.”Other people cannot see what I see whenever I look into your father’s face for behind your father’s face as it is today are all those other faces which were his. Let him laugh and I see a cellar your father does not remember and a house he does not remember and I hear in his present laughter his laughter as a child.”Baldwin starts his letter by informing his nephew on how black people can be destroyed if they believe what some white people think about them. He discusses a hidden message telling black people to settle for mediocrity rather than striving for excellence. Baldwin believes that black people need to know their history and where they came from so that there will be “no limit to where you can go.””…We, with love, shall force our brothers to see themselves as they are, to cease fleeing from reality and begin to change it.”
Nomi Seline –
I am a huge fan of James Baldwin, this is the third book that I have bought from him. This is by far one of the best books written by him. I am so happy that I chose to buy this book, I do not regret a thing. It truly is astonishing how not much has changed between the races in America since 1963. James Baldwin is such an amazing writer, this book is extremely well written. The use of words in this book are utilized in a way that make you feel as though you are within Baldwin’s story. Overall, buy this book if you are interested in learning in the about the history and culture of black individuals during 60s. Also, buy this book if you are interested in reading a quality book with quality writing.
Monica –
I bought this book for a young man and he loved it.
Jessica Sullivan –
A beautifully crafted, emotionally and intellectually charged plea to the American people during the nascent Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin writes with passion, candor, desperation and hope, providing critical insight into the realities of being black in America. He conveys a clear sense of urgency, challenging Americans to reckon with the legacy of racism and reject the delusion that skin color determines value or worth.Perhaps most surprising to me in reading Baldwin for the first time was discovering that in spite of his deep awareness of the horrors of being black and his cutting criticism of white Americans, he still insisted on unity and love. He had every reason not to, and yet he did. I plan to read some of his later work and will be interested to see if his cautious optimism changed at all—particularly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.Sadly, much of what Baldwin wrote more than five decades ago is still relevant today. His hopeful plea for change and his urgent warning to America to end its racial nightmare are all the more devastating knowing that we still have so far to go.
Michelle Ryan –
Should be required reading for every American. Rarely have I read words of such clarity, elegance and insight in any subject. That Baldwin was able to write in this way about race is a gift to all who wish to heal our deep national wound. And we should all wish to heal it. Every word rings true.Baldwin was that rare person who has a deep understanding of the frailty, nobility and beauty of the human soul. His compassion and humanity shines forth through every brilliant word in this powerful book. He wrote from a place few have been able to attain, sharing home truths without harsh cruelty, but with great clarity and authority. Sadly, what he wrote in 1963 in this book applies to this day: We have not yet learned what he was trying so hard to teach us and we have much left to do. Read this book, let its profound lessons guide you deep into self inquiry, so that you too might understand the nature of your soul, and perhaps become a better human being in the process.
Cleveland Thornton –
After 50 years this is still an insightful and wonderfully written book. It should be required reading in every high school, particularly in Florida.
leonardo Ramirez –
I enjoyed it
Stephen Snead –
A terrible, wonderful book. Sad and damming. Full of hope and anguish. Do I sound dramatic? I know I do. But, I’m white and 64 years old. I look at some of these “woke” millennials and see so much whining. Everybody wants to be a victim. But, I’m not an idiot and I see the anger and the underlying frustration. Now in all fairness it’s hard for a white guy like me that heard the stories of my grandparents having to shut the door and pull the blinds during the depression era so they could eat two hen eggs before somebody knew they had them to be told I come from privilege. To remember my grandmother telling me that people called her family Shanty Irish in her youth. To hear a 25 year old pretty black lady with a college degree tell me to hush because a white man couldn’t understand.So I went to where I often go when wondering about why the world seems crazy. To the elders. To those who lived through the fire. Everybody wants to be a victim But let’s face it. There are only 2 victims in the U.S. historically. The black people were brought over in chains. The Indian or Native American were robbed of land and forced to give up their way of life and spiritual heritage. Everybody else. From my Celtic ancestors to the Hispanic people to the Asians came here for the same reason. For a better life. So I decided the elder I would go to would be the African American James Baldwin. “The Fire Next Time.” James Baldwin 1924-1987. Author, activist, poet.
Jim Van Duyn –
What an extraordinary man. When I finished this book I had to ask myself (and it’s a question I haven’t yet answered) how can I live my life in such a way as to accomplish James Baldwin’s love for each other each day? I want to do my part to finally live up to the “promise” of America but I search for a way to do it. This book starts the journey.
Will Pulgarin –
I started reading “The Fire is Upon Us” by Nicholas Buccola, and decided to pause that book in order to read Baldwin’s book (the “Fire is Upon Us” focuses on Baldwin’s historic debate with William Buckley in 1965). “The Fire Next Time” is essentially a collection of two essays written by Baldwin during the early 1960s.The book examines the idea of what it means to be a black person in America during the 20th century. Baldwin is pulled in multiple directions during the book. First, fear early in his life draws him to Christianity and then eventually away from it. Second, Baldwin outlines his struggles with his life as an African American man in a predominately white society. Lastly, Baldwin ruminates on the idea that racists people should be pitied, because racism eats away at one’s ability to truly embrace life.The section in which Baldwin dines with Elijah Muhammad is fascinating, since Baldwin is close to embracing the idea that America does not have a place for the black man and that white people are irredeemably, yet he can’t bring himself to conclude that they are “the devil,” as Elijah Muhammad refers to them. He refuses to conclude that Elijah Muhammad is correct, and instead says that he understands how someone can think the things he thinks, but that those ideas are not for him.
Trash Gordon –
Baldwin’s work is irresistibly compelling and insufferably painful. Baldwin’s pain is that of a visionary whose sight is so clear that no refuge in self-deception is possible. He tells us that inasmuch as white people’s view of black people is the distortion of a false, racist construct, it must necessarily entail self-deception. The misunderstanding of black people by white people is also white people misunderstanding themselves. Only by coming to a true understanding of ourselves can we avoid “the fire next time”.
Carolyn Cobb –
The items that I ordered was outstanding with Biles books hats wigs Christmas storages and etc. Thank you for your help outstanding
wise tech –
Purchased this to re-read because I lost my original copy. So much truth in his message written more than 50 years ago that is painfully accurate today.
Sexy K –
This bbok is a very good book to read. I highly recommend. This is a good beginner book to talk about racism follow by Don Lemmon book.
George Elliott –
Baldwin’s terse and elegiac pronouncements play like a biographical epiphany across the crowded landscapes of New York down to the dusky and hot country grounds of the South, foretelling a future of clashes and confrontations. James Baldwin is the master of calm, spirit and heat all in one. These two searing assertions are like the biblical proclamations of a seer raised up in the church and well-versed in the Good Book passing down proclamations on a nation that hasn’t learned from past: “No more Water but the Fire next time.”
Rasheed –
Essayist and Activist Tim Wise said that James Baldwin is probably the best writer ever on the Black struggle. “The Fire Next Time” is a brilliant book which is James Baldwin’s part memoir part musing about the Black American struggle. One thing he makes patently clear is that whites were being destroyed by the system of racism and oppression just as much as Blacks, just in a different way. He makes incredibly astute observations and assessments. Baldwin also carves out a part of the book to mention his brief time as a preacher and his meeting with Elijah Muhammad in Chicago. “The Fire Next Time” is, if nothing else, a brief snippet of James Baldwin’s brilliance and eloquence.
PookieG –
Searing personal insight into the horrifying truth of racial (and other) discrimination—in the past, and RIGHT NOW! Read for Book Club, and realized how protected many Americans, including myself, are from the down and dirty realities in the fight for equality. It’s all around us, and we need to acknowledge and fix the situation. Should be on every book club list.
D. Hill –
I enjoyed reading Mr. Baldwin’s perspective and attempt to make sense of multiple view points. I also enjoy his bravery and boldness of his writings.
Bernardo M –
A needed reading for everyone in the world, especially Americans. A deep trip through the history of the American Negros and all the structural complexes that work to maintain this social group where they are. All from the brilliant narrative of James Baldwin. An intense book that you’ll read in a few hours.
Tarik D. LaCour –
As a voracious reader, there are few books that I have read and at the end felt as though I was a completely different person. Even fewer have moved me to the point of tears. James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time is a book that did both.Before reading thisImage result for the fire next time book, I had only heard of Baldwin in passing and had never read any of his books. My friend and mentor Brad Kramer (who is an anthropologist and professor at Utah Valley University) recommended the book to me so I bought it out of a sense of duty to heed a mentors recommendation. However, I put the book off for a time and did not view it as urgent to read it. Then, while we were having lunch with Brad, he told me that he got similar feelings when reading Baldwin’s book that he did in past times when he was reading the scriptures (he and I are practicing Mormons). This increased my intrigued and I put the book on my list to read in the new year. I am not engaging in hyperbole when I state this book is one of the best that I have ever read.The book takes the form of a long essay divided into two parts. The first portion is Baldwin writing a letter to his fourteen year old nephew. The second (and most important part) is Baldwin’s account of his life as a black man in Harlem and how we as American’s must overcome our racial issues if we are truly to become a great nation. Baldwin, who lived during the Civil Rights Movement, is a much different person than the two men who have come to be the faces of that era: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. Dr. King was a Christian minister who saw the movement in terms of the Christian message. Malcolm was a minister in the Nation of Islam (until 1964) and thought that the blacks and whites should be separated and that blacks were superior to whites.Baldwin was somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. He recounts in the essay that he was attracted to Christianity as a youth because of its power to move people and eventually became a Christian minister himself. But, after seeing how the Christian Church was not making progress on the race issue and seeing how it could be used to justify racism, he left Christianity. However, Christianity never left him. In the essay Baldwin comes across with the air of prophet, warning that if change isn’t made the consequences will be dire. Unlike Malcolm, Baldwin did not believe that one place was superior to the other (he says just because something is different does not make it superior or inferior). His message, while spoken in religious terms, does not require adherence to any theology.I will address two key moments in the book, and leave it to the reader to read the book and fill in the rest. While Baldwin was in Chicago, he had the opportunity to meet and have dinner with Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. While he ate with Elijah, he was impressed with the power of the man over his followers, but noted that he was disgusted with the Nation’s teachings. While he respected the Nation for making blacks more self-reliant, he could not endorse their racist ideology, which he saw as the same story as what white Americans were doing but in reverse. This spoke to me personally because I also have had the opportunity to be around members of the Nation of Islam, and like Baldwin was more than uncomfortable. The message is counterproductive and nonsensical.The most important part of the good is after Baldwin describes his meeting with the Elijah Muhammad. He states:Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably rises and sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves to totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeple, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have.Baldwin concludes that America needs to become post-racial, meaning that while we can acknowledge that we have differences in skin color, there is no reason to attribute certain characteristics to people due to there skin color. Further, while Baldwin was friends with the aforementioned Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad, he also points out that we all need each other; racism has an equally bad effect upon whites as it does upon blacks.In an era where racism still raises its ugly head, The Fire Next Time is a book that all Americans, regardless of color, need to have in their personal library. I plan to read it once a year going forward. A truly wonderful, remarkable book.
ChopinFan65 –
You can’t put it down. This book tells it like it really is: horrible.
Char W.Char W. –
New condition book. I enjoyed reading, agreeing and disagreeing. Great book!
Aaron V –
His words flow and you feel every page, great read from one of the most underrated luminaries of our time.
Ruth –
Delivery in record time and in perfect condition! Thank you.
J Cather –
A must-read for all who wish to see from the genius of James Baldwin the realities of racism in American culture. Written in 1963 as two essays, Baldwin’s work tragically remains relevant today. In many ways, Baldwin’s work is a precursor to Ta-Nehisi Coates’ letter to his son, “Between the World and Me” (2015). Baldwin’s work will remain a classic, a clarion call to all generations, to end racism systemically before it destroys the soul of our nation—if it hasn’t already.
Gerry Young –
Shook my soul to the center. Written from the heart, with knife cutting honesty. As a white man raised in a white family in a white neighborhood in the 1960’s. I had no idea, I cried a few times at his writing and emotion coming through his words. God Help us All!!! This is the most horrible thing I have ever heard of being committed against a group of people. Shame on US. This is a MUST READ.
Marjene Echevarria –
Highly recommend a good read every library should have his books.
Leonard L. Edloe –
I kept hearing about this classic. I struggles because it was basically one chapter. It exposed so many of the challenges that young Black men face.
Amazon Customer –
I would suggest this book to everyone. Baldwin is a favorite author of mine and his compassion to everyone is admirable and worth of emulation from everyone.
Salahuddin Hourani –
very good quality
Benita N. –
A great read. James Baldwin is the best
Barrington Beadle –
I felt compelled to read this given the state of America today especially in this political climate I felt it necessary to go back in time and read some of the writings of some of our greatest writers regarding an issue that America refuses to deal with and I’m glad that I did I understand now that this war of race is something that white Americans have perpetuated against people of color from all over the world going back to the dawn of time and until it is addressed honestly and changed in an honest attempt is made by white people in particular to circumvent the disaster that is to come I fear that change will never truly happen this book was a great guideline truly inspirational and if you really want an honest review of what it is like being black in America you need to read this.