Begin Again (book)
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''Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own'' is a 2020 book by
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (born September 4, 1968) is an American academic. He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, where he is also the Chair of the Center for African Amer ...
Covering the life and works of American writer and activist
James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...
, and the theme of racial inequality in the United States, Glaude uses these topics to discuss what he views as historical failed opportunities for America to "begin again". He analyzes Baldwin's activism and sexuality and his non-fiction writings, perceiving a shift in his later works. Glaude uses ideas from Baldwin to comment on contemporary racial topics such as the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement, which began in 2013. The book entered ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list on July 19, 2020, and has received positive critical reception.


Background

Author
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (born September 4, 1968) is an American academic. He is the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, where he is also the Chair of the Center for African Amer ...
is the chair of the Department of African American Studies at
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
. The book follows his 2016 work '' Democracy in Black'', about racism in contemporary America, in which Glaude argued that black people had largely suffered under the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
. ''Begin Again'' is largely about the American writer and activist
James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer. He garnered acclaim across various media, including essays, novels, plays, and poems. His first novel, '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'', was published in 1953; de ...
, who Glaude first read in graduate school. Glaude initially found his writings uncomfortable, particularly due to the reactions of his white classmates. He later returned to the works and studied them further. He eventually began teaching Baldwin at Princeton. After the book was written, the May 2020
murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
led to a global protest movement on the subject of institutional racism and police violence. The book was published on June 30, 2020, by Crown Publishing Group. Princeton's Undergraduate Student Government distributed free digital copies to students who requested it as part of their Anti-Racism Book Initiative, along with Princeton academic
Imani Perry Imani Perry (born September 5, 1972) is an American interdisciplinary scholar of race, law, literature, and African-American culture. She is currently the Hughes-Rogers Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and a columnis ...
's book '' Breathe: A Letter to My Sons''.


Synopsis

The book spans genres including biography, memoir, history and literary analysis. Glaude says that Americans have had two failed opportunities to "begin again", a phrase taken from Baldwin's final novel ''
Just Above My Head ''Just Above My Head'' is James Baldwin's sixth and last novel, first published in 1979. He wrote it in his house in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France. Plot introduction The novel tells the life story of a group of friends, from preaching in Harlem, ...
''. The first was the "second founding" of America after the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and
Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
. The second was the civil rights movement. He argues that a third opportunity is needed. Glaude outlines Baldwin's early literary works. He argues that Baldwin's focus later changed from "white America" to the "well-being and future of black people". In 1963, a bombing took place at
16th Street Baptist Church The 16th Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. In 1963, the church was bombed by Ku Klux Klan members. The bombing killed four young girls in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The church is stil ...
, which Glaude believes led to Baldwin becoming disillusioned and his writing changing. Glaude mostly analyzes Baldwin's non-fiction, including his later books ''
The Fire Next Time ''The Fire Next Time'' is a 1963 non-fiction book by James Baldwin, containing two essays: "My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" and "Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region of My Mind". Th ...
'' (1963) and ''
No Name in the Street ''No Name in the Street'' is American writer and poet James Baldwin's fourth non-fiction book, first published in 1972. Baldwin describes his views on several historical events and figures: Francisco Franco, McCarthyism, the assassination of ...
'' (1972), and the 1982 documentary ''I Heard It Through the Grapevine''. Glaude sees Baldwin as addressing "the lie", the idea that America has an underlying goodness, by calling for people to "bear witness". In ''No Name in the Street'', Baldwin found that white liberals viewed racism as a matter of "hearts and minds" rather than systematic discrimination and rejected evidence of
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
. Additionally, according to Glaude, the book is a work of experimentation and a piece of art; Glaude found it to be Baldwin's most significant work of social criticism. He says that though Baldwin's later works continued to be popular, he lost support from literary critics. He also discusses Baldwin's time in
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
after the
assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at 7 ...
, and writes that Baldwin's
queerness ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
made him "misfitted" amongst civil rights activists including King and Eldridge Cleaver. Glaude argues that periods of American history have been similarly marked by movements for change being followed by movements to preserve the status quo. He says this began with the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
and gives other examples including the 1981 election of
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
and the
war on drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
after the
civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, Racial discrimination ...
. More recently, he says that an instance of this is the 2016 election of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
as a reaction to
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's presidency. Glaude uses Baldwin's views on the Black Power movement and incarceration in the United States to make arguments about contemporary racial topics including the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...
movement, the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials and identity politics.


Reception

The book entered ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in the Hardcover Nonfiction category on July 19, 2020, where it placed fifth. The book has been on the list for three weeks, as of the August 2 edition. It won the 2021 Stowe Prize, awarded by the center that preserves
Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...
's house.


Critical reception

In a starred review, ''
Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' said that Glaude's writing is "eloquent and impassioned" and that he "effectively demonstrates how truth does not die with the one who spoke it". Thomas J. Davis of ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' summarized the book as being about "moral reckoning, owning up to failed choices, and making an effort to choose better ones". In a positive review, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' Jennifer Szalai summarized that "Glaude finds energy and even solace in the later nonfiction that charted Baldwin's disillusionment". Claire Howorth of '' Vanity Fair'' praised the book as "a hopeful and honest treatise" which showed "deep engagement with Baldwin's work". ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' found Glaude "perceptive" and to make "an effective and impassioned case", though writing that "Glaude at times seems to be trying to fit three books into one". Kenneth W. Mack of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' similarly said that ''Begin Again'' is "in fact, two different books", and asked a question which he thought the book did not answer, "If we are in the after times, then what was the before?". However, Mack found it a "groundbreaking and informative guide to Baldwin and his era". In a review for ''East Village Magazine'', Robert Thomas wrote: "Glaude's review of those times and their lessons through Baldwin's dark and hopeful message is prescient to our current challenge to democracy."


References


Further reading

* * * * * {{refend 2020 non-fiction books Books about African-American history Crown Publishing Group books Non-fiction books about racism Racism in the United States