james baldwin is an iconic author of our time, a writer who gave the world countless moving essays, short stories, novels, plays, and poems during his 63 years. As a gay black man coming to terms with his identity in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Baldwin, who died on December 1, 1987, used his distinct perspective and lyrical writing to shed light on issues of race, homosexuality, and religion. a way that put him ahead of his time when it came to social commentary.
From Go Tell It on the Mountain to Giovanni’s Room and If Beale Street Could Talk, which was adapted for the big screen in 2019, we’ve rounded up some of Baldwin’s most popular texts, all of which remain must-reads. nowadays. And don’t worry: we’ve also included a full list of his life’s work, because they’re all commendable.
You are reading: Best james baldwin books
go tell it to the mountain (1953)
In his first novel, Baldwin wrote a semi-autobiographical story about a boy named John Grimes, a teenager growing up in 1930s Harlem who struggles with his own identity as the stepson of a strict Pentecostal minister. the story reflects the author’s own life; Baldwin was also raised by a stepfather who served as a Baptist pastor. “The Mountain is the book I had to write if I was ever going to write anything else,” he told the New York Times in 1985. “I had to deal with what hurt me the most. I had to deal, above all, with my father.”
notes of a native son (1955)
In this collection of essays, the writer captured the complexities of being black in America during the early roars of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. Throughout his observations, Baldwin lamented the injustices in the community. African-American and showed empathy for the oppressor, establishing herself as a key voice in the movement. In a 1958 New York Times review of a native son’s notes, African-American poet Langston Hughes had this to say about Baldwin’s words: “America and the world might well have a major contemporary commentator.”
giovanni’s room (1956)
A landmark novel in American literature, Giovanni’s Room follows an American man living in Paris who struggles to understand his sexuality while dealing with the social pressures of masculinity, all while beginning an affair with an Italian bartender named giovanni. The book, considered essential reading in the LGBTQ community, was a finalist in the fiction category of the National Book Awards in 1957.
No One Knows My Name: Further Notes from a Native Son (1961)
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In another collection of 23 culturally reflective essays, Baldwin highlights the complexity of discriminatory tensions in our society with words that remain just as poignant and relevant today. A selection of Baldwin’s new and revised works, many of the titles originally appeared in publications such as Esquire and the New York Times magazine. the essays earned him another place as a finalist in the National Book Awards in 1962, this time in the non-fiction category.
another country (1962)
Set in New York City’s Greenwich Village in the 1950s, Another Country explores themes of mental health, interracial relationships, love, and bisexuality as the story follows the lives of a group of friends after a suicide.
After its release, many critics had mixed responses, with Paul Goodman for the New York Times writing that while the story was “personal, winding but definitive”, it was also “tense [and] sometimes journalistic or noisy”. . however, he acknowledged that the harshest criticism of him was a result of Baldwin’s earlier work, which prompted a higher level of criticism.
the fire next time (1963)
composed of two essays originally published in the new yorker: “my dungeon shook: letter to my nephew on the centenary of emancipation” and “down on the cross: letter from a region of my mind”—in the Next time, Baldwin explains the place of race and racism in society, while also examining and criticizing the role of Christianity in American beliefs. at the time, critics saw this collection as a way for white Americans to (finally) see what life was like as a black citizen in this country.
go to meet the man (1965)
A collection of eight short stories, this book delves into another set of cultural themes through its various characters: a struggling jazz musician, an angry father, and a racist cop, to name a few. Popular titles included are Sonny’s Blues; this morning, this afternoon, so soon; and the male child.
tell me how long the train has been gone (1968)
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In this Baldwin novel, a prominent fictional actor, Leo Proudhammer, nearly died after suffering a heart attack on stage. throughout the rest of the novel, he reflects on the events of his life, both those that brought him to fame and those that revealed his weaknesses.
if beale street could talk (1974)
Now, a Golden Globe nominated film directed by Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk, follows young couple Fonny and Tish as they deal with the trial and incarceration of Fonny, falsely accused of rape. In the big screen version, the main characters are played by up-and-comers Stephan James and Kiki Layne. Speaking to The Atlantic about what led him to bring the story to the big screen, Jenkins said, “Baldwin had a few voices that he wrote in, and one of those voices was deeply sensual, innately in touch with human emotion. I think this book is the perfect fusion of the most essayistic protest novel and someone who deeply believed in sensuality and love.”
I’m not your black (2017)
In the years before his death, Baldwin envisioned a book about his friends Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, but never finished it. By combining an unpublished manuscript called Remember This House and assorted excerpts from Baldwin’s book, notes, interviews, and letters, Raul Peck edited and published the story the great writer never got to see come to life. Peck also directed the 2017 Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name.
a complete list of works by james baldwin
essaysa talk to teachersnobody knows my name: more notes from an indigenous sonno name on the streetnotes from an indigenous sonthe cross of redemption:uncollected writingsthe devil finds workthe evidence of things not foundthe price of the ticket
novelsanother countryjovannive’s room to tell about it in the mountainsif beale street could talkright above my headtell me how long the train has been gone
playblues for mister charlieamen cornerpoemsjimmy’s blues and other poemsstoriescome out of the desertgo meet the manpreconditionssonny’s bluesthis morning , this afternoon, as soon as the boy left the rock pile
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