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A review by pageglue
Just Above My Head by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
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
Now, after two years of this sitting on my shelf, I can finally say that I’ve real all of James Baldwin’s novels, and he really delivered on the finale.
Just Above My Head tells the story of a famous gospel singer, Arthur Hall, whose too soon demise shakes his family to the core. The events of his life are recalled from his brother Hall’s perspective, of how Arthur came to love Jimmy, and how Hall came to love Jimmy’s older sister, Julia, the child preacher.
The title, Just Above My Head, to me conjures up images of cigarette smoke and guillotines. Grief looms over this story like the spectre of death, but grim life too is a mean poltergeist: conscription for the Korean War disrupts young men’s plans and their well-being if they return home; our main female character Julia experiences multiple crises all at once; and Arthur is stuck between two magnetic poles of desire - being wanted for his fame, and the isolation of being gay in mid-century America.
Published in 1978, this book is THE Civil Rights Movement novel: written by one of its leaders, about specific events of the era, there’s a lot about this book that’s of its time. This is the first story I’ve read involving a character who’s a convert to the Muslim Brotherhood. And Baldwin brilliantly captures the dark, oppressive mood of the Jim Crow South; that choosing to go down there for Arthur’s gospel career is a death wish. It’s also doing a M*A*S*H thing where the plot uses the Korean War to comment on the Vietnam War.
In his nonfiction and interviews, Baldwin has always held a broad perspective of how systemic society’s issues are. But in his previous fiction books, the injustice that his characters face can often feel like isolated incidents, whereas with this one they feel indicative of the system, giving it an MLK Jr. “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” feel.
But not all is doom and gloom. The love, loyalty, and care these characters have for each other is immense, and showing that sticking it through thick and thin with people is rewarding. Or, as Kurt Vonnegut put it, “A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
I wouldn’t recommend this as your first Baldwin novel, as it builds heavily on his prior work. But if you have already read him, especially Go Tell It On The Mountain, then you have a lot to look forward to with this gem.
Just Above My Head tells the story of a famous gospel singer, Arthur Hall, whose too soon demise shakes his family to the core. The events of his life are recalled from his brother Hall’s perspective, of how Arthur came to love Jimmy, and how Hall came to love Jimmy’s older sister, Julia, the child preacher.
The title, Just Above My Head, to me conjures up images of cigarette smoke and guillotines. Grief looms over this story like the spectre of death, but grim life too is a mean poltergeist: conscription for the Korean War disrupts young men’s plans and their well-being if they return home; our main female character Julia experiences multiple crises all at once; and Arthur is stuck between two magnetic poles of desire - being wanted for his fame, and the isolation of being gay in mid-century America.
Published in 1978, this book is THE Civil Rights Movement novel: written by one of its leaders, about specific events of the era, there’s a lot about this book that’s of its time. This is the first story I’ve read involving a character who’s a convert to the Muslim Brotherhood. And Baldwin brilliantly captures the dark, oppressive mood of the Jim Crow South; that choosing to go down there for Arthur’s gospel career is a death wish. It’s also doing a M*A*S*H thing where the plot uses the Korean War to comment on the Vietnam War.
In his nonfiction and interviews, Baldwin has always held a broad perspective of how systemic society’s issues are. But in his previous fiction books, the injustice that his characters face can often feel like isolated incidents, whereas with this one they feel indicative of the system, giving it an MLK Jr. “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” feel.
But not all is doom and gloom. The love, loyalty, and care these characters have for each other is immense, and showing that sticking it through thick and thin with people is rewarding. Or, as Kurt Vonnegut put it, “A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.”
I wouldn’t recommend this as your first Baldwin novel, as it builds heavily on his prior work. But if you have already read him, especially Go Tell It On The Mountain, then you have a lot to look forward to with this gem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Racism, and Rape