A review by lydiature_
Going to Meet the Man by James Baldwin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i don't know what to say. me and short story collections have a complicated relationship. they're really just hit or miss for me. and those that are "hits" i stop thinking about weeks after finishing, if i'm being honest. so when i saw that this was available on libby, i hesitated.
i'm so glad that i read this. i was instantly hooked by the first story, "the rockpile." it was so interesting to see how baldwin was able to build up tension in a domestic, delicate setting. i felt the dread that elizabeth experienced as a wife to a volatile husband. the writing style in particular was lush and vivid. i was pleasantly surprised to see that the second story, "the outing", was connected. we got to see more of johnnie and the dynamics between him and his step-father gabriel.
i can truly say that all the stories were amazing. the writing style was so vivid and beautiful and raw. baldwin handled each of his narrators with respect and fondness. he explored gender dynamics, race relations from the white and black perspectives, and sexuality. it was a very interesting and thorough collection of short stories that left me wanting MORE. they were all distinct, which impressed me a great deal. many collections that i've read by other authors had narrators that blended in with one another, narrators that weren't very interesting or fleshed-out even. but baldwin took great pains to give life to each of his narrators and everyone had a distinct way of speaking that was so remarkable to me.
there were only 8 stories, but i could see them each being developed into longer works (like a novel or novella). the lowest rating that i gave was 4.5 stars. like i said, all of the stories were amazing but the ones that completely stood out to me were: "the man child", "sonny's blues", and "going to meet the man." they left me absolutely shaken, especially "the man child" and "going to meet the man." when i finished them both in particular, i wanted to throw UP.
man, i'm really kicking myself for not buying the physical copy, because then i would've been able to annotate. but whatever, i can just buy the physical copy and re-read it next year. because honey, i will most definitely be re-reading this.
RATINGS OF STORIES:
1. "the rockpile"- 5 ⭐️
2. "the outing" - 4.75
3. "the man child" - 5 ⭐️
4. "previous conditions" - 4.75 ⭐️
5. "sonny's blues" - 5 ⭐️
6. "this morning, this evening, so soon" - 4.5 ⭐️
7. "come out the wilderness" - 4.5 ⭐️
8. "going to meet the man" - 5 ⭐️
i 100% recommend this, and i definitely think that this should be required reading. this is an american book.
i'm so glad that i read this. i was instantly hooked by the first story, "the rockpile." it was so interesting to see how baldwin was able to build up tension in a domestic, delicate setting. i felt the dread that elizabeth experienced as a wife to a volatile husband. the writing style in particular was lush and vivid. i was pleasantly surprised to see that the second story, "the outing", was connected. we got to see more of johnnie and the dynamics between him and his step-father gabriel.
i can truly say that all the stories were amazing. the writing style was so vivid and beautiful and raw. baldwin handled each of his narrators with respect and fondness. he explored gender dynamics, race relations from the white and black perspectives, and sexuality. it was a very interesting and thorough collection of short stories that left me wanting MORE. they were all distinct, which impressed me a great deal. many collections that i've read by other authors had narrators that blended in with one another, narrators that weren't very interesting or fleshed-out even. but baldwin took great pains to give life to each of his narrators and everyone had a distinct way of speaking that was so remarkable to me.
there were only 8 stories, but i could see them each being developed into longer works (like a novel or novella). the lowest rating that i gave was 4.5 stars. like i said, all of the stories were amazing but the ones that completely stood out to me were: "the man child", "sonny's blues", and "going to meet the man." they left me absolutely shaken, especially "the man child" and "going to meet the man." when i finished them both in particular, i wanted to throw UP.
man, i'm really kicking myself for not buying the physical copy, because then i would've been able to annotate. but whatever, i can just buy the physical copy and re-read it next year. because honey, i will most definitely be re-reading this.
RATINGS OF STORIES:
1. "the rockpile"- 5 ⭐️
2. "the outing" - 4.75
3. "the man child" - 5 ⭐️
4. "previous conditions" - 4.75 ⭐️
5. "sonny's blues" - 5 ⭐️
6. "this morning, this evening, so soon" - 4.5 ⭐️
7. "come out the wilderness" - 4.5 ⭐️
8. "going to meet the man" - 5 ⭐️
i 100% recommend this, and i definitely think that this should be required reading. this is an american book.