‘A scrupulous biography’ – Publishers Weekly
‘Fresh, incisive, and uplifting’ – Kirkus
‘If you want to know the real Baldwin, this is the book to read’ – Robin D.G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk
James Baldwin is an icon of liberation who created some of the most important literary works of his time, including the novels Go Tell It on the Mountain and If Beale Street Could Talk. Here, Bill V. Mullen celebrates the life of the great African-American writer and activist.
As a lifelong anti-imperialist, black queer advocate, and feminist, James Baldwin was a passionate chronicler of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the US war against Vietnam, the Palestinian liberation struggle, and the rise of LGBTQ+ rights.
Mullen pays homage to Baldwin’s truly radical approach to his life, writing and activism. Constantly in struggle for an anti-racist, emancipated world, Baldwin’s philosophy and politics were ahead of their time, predicting many of today’s movements such as Black Lives Matter.
Bill V. Mullen is Professor of American Studies at Purdue University. He is the author of W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line, amongst other books.
Table of Content
Illustrations
Preface: James Baldwin—A Revolutionary For Our Time
1. Baptism by Fire: Childhood and Youth, 1924–42
2. Dissidence, Disillusionment, Resistance: 1942–48
3. Political Exile and Survival: 1948–57
4. Paying His Dues: 1957–63
5. Baldwin and Black Power: 1963–68
6. Morbid Symptoms and Optimism of the Will: 1968–79
7. Final Acts
Postscript: Baldwin’s Queer Legacies
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the author
Bill V. Mullen is Professor of American Studies at Purdue University. He is co-editor with Ashley Dawson of Against Apartheid: The Case for Boycotting Israeli Universities (Haymarket, 2015). He is the author of W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line (Pluto Press, 2016).
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