Reflections on James Baldwin
As you might know, here at The Thirlby, we believe that feeling & being well is also being well-cultured. It is cultivating a world that also feels well, which is reflected in our resource of The Library.
Today would have been 94th birthday of James Baldwin, one of the most prolific authors, thinkers, and activists of our time. In reflection, we are leaving you with a few quotes & our recommended reads by Mr. Baldwin along with others that have shaped Black History & the Civil Rights Movement.
Quotes for Reflection
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”
“Nothing is more desirable than to released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch”
“People are trapped in history & history is trapped in them.”
And some quotes that are appropriate in the continuing trying racist & anti-immigrant times
A Selection of James Baldwin's Works
"Nobody Knows My Name" by James Baldwin
"Giovanni's Room" by James Baldwin
"The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin
The Upcoming Film Adaptation of "If Beale Street Could Talk"
The new "If Beale Street Could Talk" teaser based on Baldwin's work & directed by Barry Jenkins of "Moonlight"
A Selection of Critical Reads by Other Prominent Black Authors
Although this is by no means an exhaustive list, it's a list of our favourites & a good starting point for those who have not been exposed to African & African-American Literature due to our white- & white man-dominated educational curiculum.
"Beloved" by Toni Morrison
"Between the World & Me" by Ta-nehisi Coates
"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker
"Their Eyes Were Watching G-d" by Zora Neale Hurston
"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
"Sister Outsider" by Audre Lorde
"Hunger" by Roxanne Gay
"The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. DuBois
"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes
"Black Boy" by Richard Wright
"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Haley
"Kindred" by Octavia Butler
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
