I’d only read one of Baldwin’s book when I was told I should read The Fire Next Time (I can’t remember who told me that.)  The book I read was Native Son it was a long time ago.  The Fire Next Time is more famous.  It’s short and angry and sad. It was published in 1963, so I have to wonder if things are still the same as they were then.  Then there was no Civil Rights Bill or Voting Rights Bill or Affirmative Action or Blacks appearing in all sorts of roles on television and other media.  

The Fire Next Time 
by James Baldwin 
1963
Read by Jesse L. Martin 2h 25m
Rating – 9.5 

I’d only read one of Baldwin’s book when I was told I should read The Fire Next Time (And I can’t remember who told me that.)  The book I read was Native Son it was a long time ago.  The Fire Next Time is more famous.  It’s short and angry and sad. It was published in 1963, so I have to wonder if things are still the same as they were then.  In 1963 there was no Civil Rights Bill or Voting Rights Bill or Affirmative Action or Blacks appearing in all sorts of roles on television and other media.  

Yes, Mr. Baldwin – Negroes have succeeded in this country (US) as shown by Barack Obama in 2008 – 2016.  Overall though Baldwin was optimistic in what he calls those days of revolution . I wonder if this is the way that Ta-Nehisi Coates feels about things – there are certainly similarities in The Fire Next Time (1963) and Between the World and Me (2015).

I’m tempted to read it again – it’s short and I felt like a lot of it was difficult to really comprehend. It felt dated in some way – I know we still have a lot of terrible racism but I honestly think it’s getting better overall – Floyd George wasn’t the usual thing. When I went to grade school (In 1963 I was 9 years old and believed my teachers – especially one who said a Catholic would never be elected President and that many slaves were happy being slaves and there were many good, decent slave-owners.

A lot has changed since 1963 and even more since 1865. I think I’d need to read the book again, very carefully, to understand what Baldwin is meaning when he says this or that.