To be very honest with you, I feel like I could write myself in circles around Baldwin's work. Every comparative essay, every optional literary work to praise paper, anything. My top pick was James Baldwin, and my love for his work granted me many top marks. I found ratty copy of Go Tell It On The Mountain in a 1$ bin at a local secondhand bookstore, and didn't mind spending the money. When I brought it home, my mother noted it as one of the greats, and I quickly realized why. For Go Tell It On The Mountain, I did all the research and bought access to all the guides and critiques I possibly could.

Originally, the first thing that drew me really to Baldwin was the fact that he was Harlem born and raised, writing about post-slavery African-Americans in the North. The encounters between sexuality, the Church, Caucasians, men and women, and other African-Americans are endless examples woven so carefully that if you weren't paying attention, you'd miss it.

Currently I'm reading Giovanni's Room which is amazing to begin with. I'm not going to spoil it too much, but the main character begins in Brooklyn and ends up in Paris. With "minimal" but still creative imagery, the reader (especially if you've visited similar areas or areas inspired by) can easily place themselves across the bar from the protagonist where he finds himself quite frequently.

Up next to read will be Another Country, and then hopefully I will be able to find a copy of Sonny's Blues, which I begun reading in Paris but I'm pretty sure I left my copy in a small sandwich shop when rushing to head for the airport.

Labels: another country, fiction, giovanni's room, go tell it on the mountain, james baldwin