Listen free for 30 days

  • Going to Meet the Man

  • Written by: James Baldwin
  • Narrated by: Dion Graham
  • Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Going to Meet the Man cover art

Going to Meet the Man

Written by: James Baldwin
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $20.32

Buy Now for $20.32

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

"There's no way not to suffer. But you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it." 

The men and women in these eight short fictions grasp this truth on an elemental level, and their stories, as told by James Baldwin, detail the ingenious and often desperate ways in which they try to keep their heads above water. It may be the heroin that a down-and-out jazz pianist uses to face the terror of pouring his life into an inanimate instrument. It may be the brittle piety of a father who can never forgive his son for his illegitimacy. Or it may be the screen of bigotry that a redneck deputy has raised to blunt the awful childhood memory of the day his parents took him to watch a black man being murdered by a gleeful mob.

©1957, 1958, 1960, 1965 James Baldwin (P)2012 AudioGO

What listeners say about Going to Meet the Man

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

No reviews are available
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Rebecca
  • Rebecca
  • 2017-05-08

Punch in the gut

I gave this book four stars only because it is difficult in these compilations to tell when one story ends and another begins. Still, the inspiration gets are amazing and disturbing. The last short story is a powerful portrayal of a lynching party. That one in particular will bother me for a while.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Pach Atomz Art
  • Pach Atomz Art
  • 2016-11-17

Intriguing and insightful stories

I've never read this book before, but I've known it is a collection of different stories compiled into one book.
This audio made no mention of what story was being orated which kinda threw me off at times, so I had to keep going back to find where the stories bagan and ended.
I had a hard time listening to the narrator, because even though he has a great voice his way of emphasizing the characters, just wasn't consistent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Aiden R.
  • Aiden R.
  • 2018-12-15

Raw, gripping, beautiful

I can’t help but change a little every time I read his work. Utterly devastating. Completely human.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Horror Reader
  • Horror Reader
  • 2017-12-30

A Master

Several excellent stories, particularly “Sonny’s Blues” and “Going to Meet the Man.” These are real stories reflective of moral ambiguity and human complexity. Brilliant. No pat reassurances. Baldwin seeks truth, not platitudes.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for ale
  • ale
  • 2017-04-27

Amazing, eye opening

A must read, especially for white people like me who didn't live through Jim Crow. The narrator does different accents and was perfect for the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Bill Redfield
  • Bill Redfield
  • 2017-04-20

A Blast From The Past - Read This in High School

An awesome writer as he carefully and eloquently paints the canvas with colorful and direct to the core. His words bring you right there as if, you were present at that very moment experiencing whatever was going on.
Exceptional at its best.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for DeVaughn
  • DeVaughn
  • 2018-05-04

Timeless, Authentic, and Eye Opening

This collection of short stories paint a Codie and diverse pictures of Black Life across the early 20th century. It’s oddly refreshing how many of the themes are still relevant today. And excellent listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Paul
  • Paul
  • 2020-05-22

Mixed review

The narration was excellent. Only the last story (with the book's title) was very strong for me. The themes of the others are better explored in Baldwin's novels and essays.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for F Shaw
  • F Shaw
  • 2019-01-19

Baldwin always rewards

This is a collection of stories, so inevitably some of them are much better than others, but well worth reading. Not as good as
some of his great novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for sarah marentis
  • sarah marentis
  • 2021-07-07

loved it

the narration was quite enjoyable, good flow in the book. felt like James himself was reading it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful