a book

The Fire Next Time (Modern Library)

Name: The Fire Next Time (Modern Library)
Rating: 5 (9 reviews)
Author: James Baldwin
ISBN: 9780679744726

James Baldwin · 1993 · 106 pages

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movementin the 1960s—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • "The finest essay I’ve ever read.” —Ta-Nehisi Coates

At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two "letters," written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism.

Described by The New York Times Book Review as "sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle … all presented in searing, brilliant prose," The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of literature.

recommended by 9 people

sourced from public statements

Barack Obama
“"In our @MBK_Alliance town hall yesterday, I mentioned James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time. From 1962, it remains a seminal meditation on race by one of our greatest writers and relevant for understanding the pain and anger behind the protests. Excerpt: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1962/11/17/letter-from-a-region-in-my-mind"”↗
Cory Booker
“@NancyEpstein7 Great book. My favorite is The Fire Next Time.”↗
Naomi Klein
“Published in 1963 amid the throes of the civil rights movement, Baldwin’s classic is painfully relevant today. Written largely in the form of a letter from Baldwin to his nephew, the book is a call to channel righteous fury into a powerful resistance.”↗
Rashad Robinson
“This is a classic, a must read for anyone interested in Black liberation and racial justice work. Fair warning, it’s not the book that will always make you feel good. But these two passionate essays will challenge you to take an honest look at the world around you.”↗
Tom Hanks
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Frank Chimero
Diane Rehm
Matt McGorry