Trevor Baldwin, nephew of and family ambassador for one of the last century’s most indispensable literary luminaries, James Baldwin, is coming to George Latimer Central Library for Club Book on Saturday, October 17 at 2 p.m. During this free in-person author event, Trevor will reflect on his uncle’s powerful literary legacy and the continued relevance of Baldwin’s voice in today’s social and cultural conversations.
James Baldwin was a two-time National Book Award finalist whose career spanned genre and geography. He was born in New York City in 1924 and spent his life and career between New York and Europe, eventually passing at age 63 in the south of France. If you are looking to explore racism, queerness, religiosity, or America—or just want to read a really good book—Baldwin’s work has an answer (or further questions) for you to ponder.
If you’re looking for...
A semi-autobiographical coming-of-age novel? Read Go Tell It on the Mountain, Baldwin’s first published novel, considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. It explores the environments of Baldwin’s own childhood in Harlem, growing up with a preacher for a stepfather. It takes place over one 24-hour period with significant flashbacks, and is told from multiple perspectives, but ultimately is a showcase of protagonist John Grimes’ experiences.
A short, queer classic? Read Giovanni's Room, published in 1956. Drawing on Baldwin’s experiences living abroad, specifically in France, this novel explores the relationship between Giovanni and the narrator, David. While some might be surprised that the main characters are all white, the dreamy prose, sense of foreboding, and daring exploration of homosexuality are all hallmarks of Baldwin’s style.
Timely essays to get you fired up? Read Notes of A Native Son or The Fire Next Time, two collections of Baldwin’s non-fiction writing. Notes of a Native Son was his first non-fiction collection, published in 1955, and contains ten essays that reflect on race and America. The Fire Next Time contains two essays, both previously published in 1962 before compilation, on emancipation, religion, and the Civil Rights movement.
Plays or poetry instead of prose? Read Blues for Mister Charlie, Baldwin’s three-act play from 1964, loosely based on the murder of Emmett Till. His sole collection of poetry, Jimmy’s Blues, a compilation of his first book of poetry as well as other poems written throughout his lifetime.
A contemporary documentary? Watch I Am Not your Negro, a 2016 documentary based on an unfinished manuscript. The film tracks the history of race and racism in America, following Baldwin’s assertion that the fate of the United States is dependent upon its ability to address the plight of Black people within it.
A conversation between two brilliant writers? Watch the conversation between Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni, taped in 1971 in London for the show SOUL! Giovanni was nearly twenty years his junior and a prolific poet, and the two of them wove their way around many topics, including gender roles within the Black family, with healthy disagreement but never contempt. And as a bonus, the cinematography is gorgeous.
An anthology from writers inspired by his work? Read The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race, edited by Jesmyn Ward. Including works by authors such as Claudia Rankine, Edwidge Danticat, Jericho Brown, and many others, the collection is a response to Baldwin’s essays and a reflection on the past, present, and future of race in America.
More of Baldwin’s work? Explore James Baldwin’s career more in depth with this booklist.
Join us for Club Book with Trevor Baldwin while he stops at Saint Paul Public Library on his tour across the country speaking about how the two-time National Book Award finalist’s voice is as relevant and needed today as ever before. As an accomplished public relations professional, screenwriter, and essayist, Trevor Baldwin is the family’s standard bearer for his uncle’s legacy, preserving and advancing Baldwin’s work.
This event is a part of Club Book, a program that brings best-selling and award-winning national and regional authors to library communities across the Twin Cities metro. Club Book is a program of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA) and is coordinated by Library Strategies, the nonprofit consulting group of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library. Learn more at www.clubbook.org.
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