Cover of James Baldwin

James Baldwin

by David A. Leeming · 1994

+ Want to read

A major life of one of the most influential black writers of our time, James Baldwin (Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Fire Next Time). Leeming, Baldwin's friend for 25 years, accessed all of Baldwin's private papers to bring readers closer than ever to the complex man who struggled out of Harlem to become a legend of American literature. Photos.

Subject
biographybiographyMore like thisLess of thishistoryhistoryMore like thisLess of thispoliticspoliticsMore like thisLess of thispsychologypsychologyMore like thisLess of thismemoirmemoirMore like thisLess of this
Genre
historical fictionhistorical fictionMore like thisLess of thisLGBTLGBTMore like thisLess of this
Themes
raceraceMore like thisLess of thisLGBTLGBTMore like thisLess of thisAfrican AmericanAfrican AmericanMore like thisLess of thisreligionreligionMore like thisLess of thisAmerican historyAmerican historyMore like thisLess of this
Setting
20th century20th centuryMore like thisLess of this
Audience
adult
Length
long · 442 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

BuyAmazonGoogle Books

BorrowOpen LibraryA library near you

MoreCompare pricesHardcover

Liked James Baldwin? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked James Baldwin. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Negro with a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey and His Dream of Mother Africa Colin Grant · 2008 Shares biography, nonfiction, race
  2. Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention Manning Marable · 2011 Shares biography, nonfiction, race
  3. The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of Carson McCullers Virginia Spencer Carr · 1975 Shares biography, nonfiction, memoir
  4. Eudora Welty Suzanne Marrs · 2005 Shares biography, nonfiction, literary bios
See more recommendations →

“People who read James Baldwin tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Kindness Of Strangers: The Life Of Tennessee Williams Donald Spoto · 2015
  2. A Dangerous Liaison Carole Seymour-Jones · 2008
  3. City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara Brad Gooch · 1993
  4. One Matchless Time: A Life of William Faulkner Jay Parini · 2004

“If you want more of the same (biography about race), start with these.”

  1. One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life--A Story of Race and Family Secrets Bliss Broyard · 2007
  2. Ready for Revolution: The Life and Struggles of Stokely Carmichael Stokely Carmichael, Michael Ekwueme Thelwell · 2003
  3. Alice Walker: A Life Evelyn C. White · 2004
  4. Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin John D'Emilio · 2003

“If it was the race that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Malcolm X, Alex Haley · 1965
  2. Ida: A Sword Among Lions Paula J. Giddings · 2008
  3. Paul Robeson Martin Duberman · 2014
  4. Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Alan Steinberg · 1996

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton Jeff Gerth, Don Van Natta Jr. · 2007
  2. Complete Collection Of H.P.Lovecraft - 150 eBooks With 100+ Audio Book Links H.P. Lovecraft · 2013
  3. Charlton Heston: Hollywood's Last Icon Marc Eliot · 2017
  4. Jung: A Biography Deirdre Bair · 2003

Report a problem