Just Above My Head

By: James Baldwin

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The stark grief of a brother mourning a brother opens this novel with a stunning, unforgettable experience. Here, in a monumental saga of love and rage, Baldwin goes back to Harlem, to the church of his groundbreaking novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, to the homosexual passion of Giovanni's Room, and to the political fire that inflames his nonfiction work.

Here, too, the story of gospel singer Arthur Montana and his family becomes both a journey into another country of the soul and senses - and a living contemporary history of black struggle in this land.

©1978, 1979 James Baldwin (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Wow

Such a powerful book! A bit hard to listen to at times (because the truth is hard), but beautifully written and masterfully narrated. A true masterpiece.

Wonderful poignant story

The story of Arthur Montana is heartbreaking because of the world in which he finds himself, a world that rejects his black and gay self. Baldwin is a master at revealing the workings of the human heart. As a gospel singer, Arthur travels the world and no where does he face hatred and violence such as that confronted in the Deep South, the Bible Belt.
Baldwin’s love scenes are explicit and not for the faint of heart.
I read the novel back in the 70s but enjoyed listening to it EXCEPT when the reader tried to imitate a woman’s voice . His rendition was excruciating. Why not have an actual woman read those parts ?

to be black in America in 1950s

what a great book. I have learned a lot. the performance was amazing. what a philosopher !

still so relevant in 2019, amen!

Epic resd, as always. most-mem-moment: Crunch declares love for mother and Arthur. Gimme a bucket.

Best James Baldwin I've Read

A fierce yet accessible heartfelt story bridges the spiritual & disgust with religion. Compelling portraits of prayer & gospel songs and of racial oppression - the war against blacks that was the Jim Crow south.

There is no one who writes beyond Baldwin

a most extraordinarily beautiful book with layer upon layer of love and truth. The language is visceral and real - describing the impossible intimacy and terror of living in america.

masterful

James Baldwin is a master writer. Nothing I write can do justice to the story told or performance.

Performance is Brilliant

As expected, the story is engaging. James Baldwin's talent telling a tale in great detail is well showcased. But, it’s s the superb performance that took the book to the highest level.

A Masterpiece - My Favorite of His So Far

I've read and listened to most of James Baldwin's works, both fiction and non-fiction and this book just astounded me with its soulfulness. It's long and complex, with lots of characters. It spans decades and picks apart moments. James Baldwin understood the nuances of relationships, the brutality in some of those and the beauty in others. He truly understood racism and prejudice and how it affects people and their relationships. He writes about struggles like the expert he was.

This book has an interesting structure because early on we learn that one of the characters has died. The rest of the book goes back to childhood, adolescence, and on to adulthood. I knew the death was coming, but was so invested in the characters that it was still a shock when it really happened. It seems that some people thought this overly long, but it needed to be written this way. Be warned that there is violence, sex, and racism here. That should not keep people away from it, but it's good to know.

While you could read this as your first Baldwin book, I always suggest "Go Tell it On the Mountain" for a starter. I almost feel as if you should earn the right to this book by experiencing other works first. I did the narration very much.

This is part of my "Fall Ahead" reading theme. I've got unfinished books and trilogies I'm working on. I sort of cheated here, but I'm calling this working towards finishing Baldwin's works. I'm certain I don't have many left, but we didn't have Goodreads to keep track of books back then.

All season

As always James did a great work touching every aspect of the life we live .