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The Fire Next Time
- Narrated by: Jesse L. Martin
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
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James Baldwin: A Collection of Speeches and Lectures
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: James Baldwin
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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James Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son, explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western society, most notably in regard to the mid-20th-century United States.
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A Bit of A Slog, but Worth It
- By Noxshus on 2023-01-25
Written by: James Baldwin
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Notes of a Native Son
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays collected in Notes of a Native Son capture a view of Black life and Black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement and as the movement slowly gained strength through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era.
Written by: James Baldwin
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Go Tell It On the Mountain
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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James Baldwin’s stunning first novel is now an American classic. With startling realism that brings Harlem and the black experience vividly to life, this is a work that touches the heart with emotion while it stimulates the mind with its narrative style, symbolism, and excoriating vision of racism in America. Moving through time from the rural South to the northern ghetto, Baldwin chronicles a 14-year-old boy’s discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935.
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Powerful
- By Lisa M. on 2018-09-18
Written by: James Baldwin
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Another Country
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, Another Country tells the story of the suicide of jazz-musician Rufus Scott and the friends who search for an understanding of his life and death, discovering uncomfortable truths about themselves along the way. Another Country is a work that is as powerful today as it was 40 years ago - and expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
Written by: James Baldwin
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The Souls of Black Folk
- Written by: W. E. B. Du Bois
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
Written by: W. E. B. Du Bois
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James Baldwin
- A Biography
- Written by: David Leeming
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a biography of James Baldwin, author, one-time preacher, and civil rights activist. He chose David Leeming, a close friend and colleague, to write his biography and granted him access to his correspondence. Leeming traces his life from his birth in Harlem in 1924 to his self-imposed exile in Europe, his later years as political activist, and his public funeral in 1987.
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A solid and entertaining listen
- By Kindle Customer on 2022-11-30
Written by: David Leeming
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James Baldwin: A Collection of Speeches and Lectures
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: James Baldwin
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James Baldwin was an American novelist, playwright, essayist, poet, and activist. His essays, as collected in Notes of a Native Son, explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in Western society, most notably in regard to the mid-20th-century United States.
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A Bit of A Slog, but Worth It
- By Noxshus on 2023-01-25
Written by: James Baldwin
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Notes of a Native Son
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Written during the 1940s and early 1950s, when Baldwin was only in his twenties, the essays collected in Notes of a Native Son capture a view of Black life and Black thought at the dawn of the civil rights movement and as the movement slowly gained strength through the words of one of the most captivating essayists and foremost intellectuals of that era.
Written by: James Baldwin
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Go Tell It On the Mountain
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Adam Lazarre-White
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
James Baldwin’s stunning first novel is now an American classic. With startling realism that brings Harlem and the black experience vividly to life, this is a work that touches the heart with emotion while it stimulates the mind with its narrative style, symbolism, and excoriating vision of racism in America. Moving through time from the rural South to the northern ghetto, Baldwin chronicles a 14-year-old boy’s discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935.
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Powerful
- By Lisa M. on 2018-09-18
Written by: James Baldwin
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Another Country
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Set in Greenwich Village, Harlem, and France, Another Country tells the story of the suicide of jazz-musician Rufus Scott and the friends who search for an understanding of his life and death, discovering uncomfortable truths about themselves along the way. Another Country is a work that is as powerful today as it was 40 years ago - and expertly narrated by Dion Graham.
Written by: James Baldwin
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The Souls of Black Folk
- Written by: W. E. B. Du Bois
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” writes Du Bois, in one of the most prophetic works in all of American literature. First published in 1903, this collection of 15 essays dared to describe the racism that prevailed at that time in America—and to demand an end to it. Du Bois’ writing draws on his early experiences, from teaching in the hills of Tennessee, to the death of his infant son, to his historic break with the conciliatory position of Booker T. Washington.
Written by: W. E. B. Du Bois
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James Baldwin
- A Biography
- Written by: David Leeming
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This is a biography of James Baldwin, author, one-time preacher, and civil rights activist. He chose David Leeming, a close friend and colleague, to write his biography and granted him access to his correspondence. Leeming traces his life from his birth in Harlem in 1924 to his self-imposed exile in Europe, his later years as political activist, and his public funeral in 1987.
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A solid and entertaining listen
- By Kindle Customer on 2022-11-30
Written by: David Leeming
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The Source of Self-Regard
- Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
- Written by: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 16 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Arguably the most celebrated and revered writer of our time now gives us a new nonfiction collection - a rich gathering of her essays, speeches, and meditations on society, culture, and art, spanning four decades.
Written by: Toni Morrison
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Giovanni's Room
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Dan Butler
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the 1950’s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin’s now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart.
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What a gem
- By Roberta W on 2022-11-05
Written by: James Baldwin
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We Were Eight Years in Power
- An American Tragedy
- Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Narrated by: Beresford Bennett
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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"We were eight years in power" was the lament of Reconstruction-era Black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. Now Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a Black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America's "first White president".
Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
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If Beale Street Could Talk
- A Novel
- Written by: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Told through the eyes of Tish, a 19-year-old girl in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and is imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions - affection, despair, and hope.
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Masterfully Written
- By Rhonda Sheen on 2019-03-23
Written by: James Baldwin
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The Invention of Science
- A New History of the Scientific Revolution
- Written by: David Wootton
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In this fascinating history spanning continents and centuries, historian David Wootton offers a lively defense of science, revealing why the Scientific Revolution was truly the greatest event in our history. The Invention of Science goes back 500 years in time to chronicle this crucial transformation, exploring the factors that led to its birth and the people who made it happen. Wootton argues that the Scientific Revolution was actually five separate yet concurrent events that developed independently.
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Good
- By ArcesseEum on 2018-01-02
Written by: David Wootton
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Between the World and Me
- Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Narrated by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race”, a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of Black women and men - bodies exploited through slavery and segregation and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a Black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden? Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’ attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son.
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what a book that was
- By tara on 2017-11-08
Written by: Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Joan of Arc
- Written by: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Michael Anthony
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Very few people know that Mark Twain wrote a major work on Joan of Arc. Still fewer know that he considered it not only his most important, but also his best work. He spent 12 years in research and many months in France doing archival work, and then made several attempts until he felt he finally had the story he wanted to tell.
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A TRULY AMAZING SOUL!
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-04-29
Written by: Mark Twain
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The Plot Against America
- Written by: Philip Roth
- Narrated by: Ron Silver
- Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In an astonishing feat of empathy and narrative invention, our most ambitious novelist imagines an alternate version of American history. In 1940 Charles A. Lindbergh, heroic aviator and rabid isolationist, is elected president. Shortly thereafter, he negotiates a cordial "understanding" with Adolf Hitler while the new government embarks on a program of folksy anti-Semitism.
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It's an alternate history but reads like its today
- By Dave on 2020-04-20
Written by: Philip Roth
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Buddhism 101
- From Karma to the Four Noble Truths, Your Guide to Understanding the Principles of Buddhism
- Written by: Adams Media
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Learn everything you need to know about Buddhism in this clear and straightforward new guide. Buddhism was founded thousands of years ago and has inspired millions of people with its peaceful teachings. Buddhism 101 highlights and explains the central concepts of Buddhism to the modern listener, with information on mindfulness, karma, The Four Noble Truths, the Middle Way, and more.
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recommended good read
- By Gust_S.A on 2022-12-09
Written by: Adams Media
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
- The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman
- Written by: Richard P. Feynman
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a magnificent treasury of the best short works of Richard P. Feynman, from interviews and speeches to lectures and printed articles. A sweeping, wide-ranging collection, it presents an intimate and fascinating view of a life in science - a life like no other. From his ruminations on science in our culture to his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, this book will delight anyone interested in the world of ideas.
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If you like finding things out
- By james on 2023-01-04
Written by: Richard P. Feynman
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The Conquest of Happiness
- Written by: Bertrand Russell
- Narrated by: Chris Lutkin
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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This metaphysical self-help classic instills happiness within and urges individuals to pursue a content life without sin, boredom, or contempt. Written decades ago with post-war depression in mind, this text has transcended time and continues to give applicable advice for modern-day individuals.
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Excellent book and good narrator
- By Lê Công Khang on 2019-08-05
Written by: Bertrand Russell
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Fearing the Black Body
- The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
- Written by: Sabrina Strings
- Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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There is an obesity epidemic in this country, and poor Black women are particularly stigmatized as "diseased" and a burden on the public health-care system. This is only the most recent incarnation of the fear of fat Black women, which Sabrina Strings shows took root more than 200 years ago.
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Brilliant
- By Inemesit on 2021-07-08
Written by: Sabrina Strings
Publisher's Summary
What the critics say
"One of the few genuinely indispensable American writers." ( Saturday Review
"Anguished...stabbing...a final plea and warning...to end the racial nightmare." ( Newsweek)
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What listeners say about The Fire Next Time
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-24
I had to listen to it a few times
You have to listen to it a few times at least because every line is so curated that you miss things if you're not paying attention. Awesome book
3 people found this helpful
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- Catherine Hunt
- 2019-05-04
A Must Read
This non fiction by James Baldwin constructs an intimate expose of the severe limitations and political-spiritual choices of Black America in the 1960’s. This prescient document reflects America’s racist underpinnings and sets down what needs to be accepted, addressed and changed in order to avoid complete social collapse.
2 people found this helpful
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- Customer
- 2020-12-04
Empowering and Insightful
James Baldwin is always engaging and knowledgable. This is well worth listening to. I will be going over there a read again. Possibly a third time too. Much to take in; also, his words are as relevant today as they was back in 1963.
1 person found this helpful
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- Rebecca
- 2019-08-06
Brilliant
This is an crucial text to read if you are living in either the USA or Canada. a text by a brilliant man, narrated brilliantly.
1 person found this helpful
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- UMUHIRE Victoire
- 2022-05-31
Still relevant in 2022: enlightening and thought full and provoking
Excellent listen!
Although I do not agree with the understanding of the History of Christianity ( it is not a white man religion, but rather another exemple of cultural appropriation for oppression as Christianity is an Eastern religion from the Middle East) agree with most of the arguments of Mr. Baldwin that race is a political construct, that white supremacy is the sign of inferiority complex and a manifestation of self-hate and self ignorance, meaning that in order to live and accept himself, the white supremacist must debase the black person. Truly a sad state and I can only play for self love and acceptance of such individuals, to be set free from such a miserable state of mind. Ultimately we are all God’s children and made in his image. Only by truly embracing that truth shall we live together in love, harmony and acceptance, first of self and then of others.
One can dream! And like Baldwin concludes, black history has shown the impossible to be possible!
Peace 🫶🏾
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-01-11
Great read
Loved the reality in this book. Great read I encourage every Black person to read.
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- Michelle
- 2020-12-10
a must read
as relevant today as it was 60 years ago. it's beautifully narrated and beautifully written.
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- Grace-Camille Munroe
- 2020-07-16
The African American Experience Eloquently
I appreciated the eloquence of Baldwin. His insights, at this point in history, Baldwin's writing makes me realize that the fight for social justice is relevant today as it did then. This is a call for unceasing action; an call for systemic change.
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-07-08
Black intellectualism
Absolute wonderful book - a short read. Poignant and on point for 2020 - black lives matter.
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- JohnS
- 2019-11-30
A manifesto for the ages
Originally published in 1963, this book is as relevant today as it was when first released. A must listen/read for those interested in understanding the reality of being black in our society. The lucidity of Baldwin's thinking and language are magnetic in their power. Much food for thought.
The narration by Jesse Martin is very much right on in tone and cadence.
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- Darwin8u
- 2015-09-17
Sad and moving and powerful and beautiful
If we -- an now I mean the relatively conscious whites and the relatively conscious blacks, who must, like lovers, insist on, or create, the consciousness of the others-- do not falter in our duty now, we may be able, handful that we are, to end the racial nightmare, and achieve our country, and change the history of the world. If we do not now dare everything, the fulfillment of that prophesy, re-created from the Bible in a song by a slave, is upon us:
"God gave Noah the rainbow sign,
No more water, the fire next time!"
- James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time
I just couldn't watch the second GOP debates tonight. I knew I couldn't face the Donald and his band of equally exquisite misfits. I'm not exactly in love with the Democrats either, but the GOP clown car is just too long, too tiring, too damn depressing. So I turned my TV off, tuned out, and read me some James Baldwin.
You could say Ta-Nehisi Coates brought me here (after reading Between the World and Me). Or perhaps, it has been these last couple years of official violence directed at the poor and the black in many of our biggest cities (St Louis, Baltimore, Las Angeles, New York). Or perhaps, I could also say that Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain also brought me here. Perhaps, it was reading the Old Testament with my own teenage children that pushed me in this direction. Or perhaps, even the promise of the New Testament. Maybe, it was my despair over the way that 14-year-old Muslim boy was treated with his homemade clock. I needed tonight a poetic healing and a spiritual justice. An Old Testament warning with a New Testament salve and a black rhythm. I needed James Baldwin's force, his poetry, his humanist hope, his infinitely quotable words. God, his prose is poetic. I literally ran out of post-it notes as I read this 106 page thesis, laid at the feet of his namesake nephew.
God this book was beginning to end sad and moving and powerful and beautiful; and so now writing this and glancing at the highlights (lowlights) of the GOP debates, I can securely say, I made the right damn choice tonight.
84 people found this helpful
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- David P
- 2016-03-20
Brilliant and Sadly Relevant
This collections of essays on race is almost breathtaking in its brilliance. Every paragraph contains an insight or truth that is shines a harsh light on the realities of American history and culture. The fact that almost all of it is as relevant today as when this was originally published almost fifty years ago is depressing, but speaks to Baldwin's genius.
Jesse L. Martin reads in a clear, effective voice that communicates Baldwin's passion by letting the words speak for themselves. I would say it is perfect.
Now I have to get the book itself so I can start underlining and memorizing. It really is that good.
79 people found this helpful
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- JW
- 2010-02-25
Still as bold as ever
Written almost 50 years ago during the Civil Rights era, these two works (a letter and an essay) give the 21st Century listener a solid no-holds barred picture of a black man's life as lived in apartheid America.
At the very least, Baldwin's writing must be commended for its bold directness, its brutal honesty, its elegant articulation and its timely significance. This was worth listening to and I enjoyed Jesse Martin's persuasive narration.
A solid listening treat for Baldwin lovers.
71 people found this helpful
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- Benasha
- 2015-11-16
Baldwin is a literary genius
I first read the paperback version of The Fire Next Time when I was fifteen, in High school, and completely clueless about the world outside of my High school woes. I am now thirty-eight, and I read or listen to this book two to three times per year. I find new meaning to his words and insights each time I listen to it. In 2015, Baldwins' words are still relevant.
36 people found this helpful
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- ellzee
- 2015-07-14
Powerful
Really interesting look into a great civil rights era mind and into a painful time (though many themes are still relevant today). Beautifully written and the performance is equally so.
34 people found this helpful
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- J.B.
- 2018-03-24
My Brother Man
James Baldwin gives us a sense of racial injustice and a manner in which to consider its hurts. What was said then for the Civil Rights movement in 1963; seems to be appropriate today for the Black Lives Matter Movement. Have we really learned?
The Fire Next Time, by James Baldwin, is narrated by Jesse L. Martin, contains two essays: "My Dungeon Shook — Letter to my Nephew on the One-Hundredth Anniversary of Emancipation," and "Down At The Cross — Letter from a Region of My Mind." The first essay is written in the form of a letter to Baldwin's 14-year-old nephew and discusses the significant role of race in American history. The second essay deals with the relations between race and religion, focusing on Baldwin's experiences with the Christian church as a youth, and his later encounters with Islam. There is no advocacy for, or against religion, but he certainly does not leave you with the belief that either religion is the answer he seeks. These letters are a penetrating attempt to bring you the essence of the agony of growing up black in a racial society where your race is considered less human than the dominant race.
There is something ‘seemingly’ ephemeral about James Baldwin’s words. They come across the page so softly and easily. Yet, he creates definitive images in one’s mind, that continue returning after the read. So my use of the word ephemeral must be inaccurate because those images stay with the reader and last and last and last as recurring thoughts in your mind. He makes you consider, reconsider, and think about the injustices, not in a rash manner but in a considered manner.
I am not a Black man, and I do not know if James Baldwin puts me close to having a true sense of the pain of being on the wrong end of racial injustice. He does give me a comparative understanding and it makes me hurt for my brother man.
32 people found this helpful
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- sherry
- 2015-10-12
excellent narration of a long honored book
What made the experience of listening to The Fire Next Time the most enjoyable?
had not read this book since high school. The narration was exceptional.
What did you like best about this story?
everything.
Which character – as performed by Jesse L. Martin – was your favorite?
N/A
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It has been 35 years since high school. Hearing this book again, reminded me that I had made very good choices such as loving myself, my color and always seeing myself as beautiful. Those choices gave me the courage to follow my dreams such as studying oceanography and engineering as well as embracing Islam.
Any additional comments?
"The Fire Next Time", could have been written today, very little has changed politically and economically for most African Americans. The methods of racism has changed to include drug infestation and mass incarceration.
31 people found this helpful
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- GDK
- 2015-08-11
A Must-Read
Baldwin's writing is stunning, his calling of white America to task razor-like, and his humanity profound. As important as ever to understanding America, if not even more so today than when written, these essays are masterpieces of critical analysis, controlled anger, complex emotional understanding, and compassion. Jesse Martin's narration is excellent.
27 people found this helpful
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- Phatgirl
- 2013-01-08
A Classic Analysis of Race & American Culture
Where does The Fire Next Time rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This book is in the top 25% of audiobooks I've listened to, partially because race and ethnicity in America is a special interest of mine.
What did you like best about this story?
It's not really a story, more an analysis of American culture and race relations in the 1960s. Baldwin is clever, witty and entertaining even listening to him now, over 40 years later.
Have you listened to any of Jesse L. Martin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I don't pay much attention to the person reading. I focus more on the text itself, but I thought this was a good reading.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
It's interesting that a lot of the problems that faced black Americans in the 1960s still face black America today. There has been a lot of progress, but race is still a significant cultural force in America today.
18 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2018-01-05
Wow, just wow!
This was my first exposure to Baldwin and he in this feels like a basis of Truth and right that needs to be built upon. Like you've just been equipped with tools for life but because experiences and perspectives always differ, I shall add to this my uniqueness. Thank you sir.
14 people found this helpful