Scan barcode
A review by annreadsabook
Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is a bit of a chunky boi, but that’s nothing to complain about with James Baldwin. Baldwin considers familial ties, loss, and love in a way that is both intimate and harsh. After the narrator, Hall Montana, is notified of his brother Arthur’s devastating death, we are given an in-depth glimpse into Hall and Arthur’s lives, loves, and trials.
Baldwin’s characters are each complex and flawed, and the pages are full of commentary on the social, political, and economic tides of the times. I honestly struggle to find the words to describe what an experience it was to read this book, and while it is an extremely heavy text in terms of content, I truly could not put it down. I deeply appreciated the way Baldwin portrays Black brotherly love, even against a loveless world, and I loved the pervasive influence of the Black church in this novel (much like Go Tell it on the Mountain).
Just Above My Head is a little bit of everything wrapped into one, which perhaps is why I both loved it so much but also find it hard to share here what makes it such an immersive reading experience. It’s a book that I definitely think needs to be read multiple times because it is simply so rich.
Please be sure to check out the content warnings, as this book has some graphic and heavy content.
Baldwin’s characters are each complex and flawed, and the pages are full of commentary on the social, political, and economic tides of the times. I honestly struggle to find the words to describe what an experience it was to read this book, and while it is an extremely heavy text in terms of content, I truly could not put it down. I deeply appreciated the way Baldwin portrays Black brotherly love, even against a loveless world, and I loved the pervasive influence of the Black church in this novel (much like Go Tell it on the Mountain).
Just Above My Head is a little bit of everything wrapped into one, which perhaps is why I both loved it so much but also find it hard to share here what makes it such an immersive reading experience. It’s a book that I definitely think needs to be read multiple times because it is simply so rich.
Please be sure to check out the content warnings, as this book has some graphic and heavy content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Racism, and Rape