Begin Again

James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

De: Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Narrado por: Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A powerful study of how to bear witness in a moment when America is being called to do the same.”—Time

James Baldwin grew disillusioned by the failure of the civil rights movement to force America to confront its lies about race. What can we learn from his struggle in our own moment?

One of the Best Books of the Year: Time, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune • One of Esquire’s Best Biographies of All Time • Winner of the Stowe Prize • Shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice

“Not everything is lost. Responsibility cannot be lost, it can only be abdicated. If one refuses abdication, one begins again.”—James Baldwin

Begin Again is one of the great books on James Baldwin and a powerful reckoning with America’s ongoing failure to confront the lies it tells itself about race. Just as in Baldwin’s “after times,” argues Eddie S. Glaude Jr., when white Americans met the civil rights movement’s call for truth and justice with blind rage and the murders of movement leaders, so in our moment were the Obama presidency and the birth of Black Lives Matter answered with the ascendance of Trump and the violent resurgence of white nationalism.

In these brilliant and stirring pages, Glaude finds hope and guidance in Baldwin as he mixes biography—drawn partially from newly uncovered Baldwin interviews—with history, memoir, and poignant analysis of our current moment to reveal the painful cycle of Black resistance and white retrenchment. As Glaude bears witness to the difficult truth of racism’s continued grip on the national soul, Begin Again is a searing exploration of the tangled web of race, trauma, and memory, and a powerful interrogation of what we must ask of ourselves in order to call forth a new America.

Class Action Lawsuit

... I couldn’t help but think about the damage and the theft of the Lie.... our lies in our education robbed us not only of this beautiful soul, Jimmy Baldwin, but our humanity.

Dr. G, as amazing and earnest a critique of our present reality, this treatise was like a reintroduction to Jimmy... a begin againing.

Wonderful beautifully written great read!!!!!!

AMAZING!

Prof. Glaude eloquently lays out, thru the lens of James Baldwin, the basic idea that if Americans doesnt stop lying to themselves about our inherent goodness, we will never heal and be what we say we are. This book helps black americans exhale in truth.

Black Is Keen!

This read was the perfect ending, yet beginning after a weekend of watching I Am Not Your Negro documentary and Ava Duvernay's 13th.

Beautifully composed and eloquently narrated, I was held captivated from start to finish. So much resonated with me regarding Black America as it relates our past, present, and future. The life and legacy of Mr. Baldwin and his brutal honesty of life as he knew it is a mere reflection of the forever pain,suffering and oppression of our people.

I admire that the author shared keen insights from Bladwin's life during Jim Crow while giving us a powerful reminder of our present-day society, especially living in the Trump era. I couldn't agree more with his thoughts on Trumpisms. What a time to be alive.

A must read ( listen)

Glaude’s analysis of Baldwin juxtaposed between the current political landscape & trumpism is just the sociological & historical antidote for a troubled time .

A must read for 2021

Informative and inspiring, this is a must read for 2021. This book helps the reader learn more about James Baldwin, his writing and activism, and how we can learn from it and put it into context and action today.