BOOKS I READ: Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (1953). Johnny is searching for salvation in the streets of Harlem, and at the Temple of the Fire Baptized, where his stepfather, Gabriel Grimes is a hard preacher. Gabriel’s older sister, Florence, is the one person who can keep the brooding, overbearing preacher at bay. She knows the secrets.

Christianity and its power and sway over the lives of the members of this church is deeply ingrained in the story. The saints they are called, the congregation, which includes the Grimes family. Through flashbacks, we learn the family backstories, whose roots are in the South. They came north to escape racism and poverty. We learn about Richard, John’s real father, who was falsely accused of a crime. When the system spits him out, he is never the same, and can’t recover his dignity. Johnny, at fourteen, it trying to find his.

James Baldwin’s first novel is often listed as one of the best novels of the twentieth century. It draws heavily on Baldwin’s experiences and family background.

Book cover for Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (1953).

See my Bookshop.org stand, supporting local bookstores, and my reading log. The previous entry in the log is below:

BOOKS I READ: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970).