James Baldwin
James Baldwin was an iconic writer and activist who explored the complexities of race, identity, love, and class with searing insight. Baldwin’s legacy as a writer and civil rights activist has left an indelible mark on history, and his wisdom and courage continue to inspire generations.
Baldwin Reading Essentials
James Baldwin offers brilliant guidance for a new generation. From coming-of-age novels and searching essays to powerful short stories about identity, love, ambition, and belonging.
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Just Above My Head
introduction by Robert Jones, Jr.
James Baldwin’s final novel is “the work of a born storyteller at the height of his powers” (The New York Times Book Review).
Arthur Montana, celebrated gospel singer, has been found collapsed in a London pub at the age of thirty-nine. His brother, Hall, is left to write the story of his life, his talent, and his great love. Retracing the past three decades of their history, Hall writes with tender passion about the central characters in Arthur’s life: Sister Julia, a “fire-baptized” child evangelist called to the ministry when she was nine, whose life seems considerably less “redeemed” out of the pulpit; and Julia’s brother Jimmy, Arthur’s most gifted accompanist, the catalyst of his success as a singer, and his devoted lover.
An unforgettable epic drama spanning the distance from the Apollo in Harlem to the Olympia in Paris, Just Above My Head is a magnificent tale of personal courage, commitment, and profound love filled with all the lyricism, violence, and compassion that comprise the human condition.
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Happy Birthday James Baldwin
Join us as we celebrate the iconic legacy of James Baldwin and his lasting impact on our world today.
Featured contributors: Nicola Yoon, author of "Everything, Everything;" "The Sun is Also a Star;" and "One of Our Kind” Karen Thorsen, Director of "James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket" Meshell Ndegeocello, Singer-Songwriter ("No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin") Randy Ribay’s, author of "Everything We Never Had" Jose Antonio Vargas, "Journalist, Filmmaker, and Immigration Rights Activist" Anna Malaika Tubbs, author of "The Three Mothers"
*James Baldwin Audio and video clips courtesy of the film, "James Baldwin: Price of the Ticket. Learn more at: https://jamesbaldwinproject.org/ Photo: Alfred A. Knopf Literary File Photography Collection, Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Listen to The Baldwin 100 Podcast
Brought to you by Penguin Random House and the James Baldwin Family, this show examines the life and work of iconic author and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth. Join host Cree Myles of the award-winning All Ways Black as she goes behind the scenes with Dr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., Roxane Gay, Billy Dee Williams, Robert Jones Jr., and other luminaries to give the inside scoop on who James Baldwin was and why he and his works are more relevant than ever today.
Listen with Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you stream podcasts.
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James Baldwin
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