The Root's Essential James Baldwin 99th Birthday Reading List

James Baldwin’s 1953 novel “Go Tell it on the Mountain” is literary classic and a must-read for anyone interested in his work. The semi autobiographical story is centered around John Grimes, a teenaged by struggling with his identity and sexuality as the stepson of a Pentecostal minister in 1930s Harlem.

“Heavy” is the beautifully written, deeply personal story of author Kiese Laymon’s experience growing up Black in Jackson, Mississippi. From his complicated relationship with his mother to his ongoing struggles with weight and abuse, this moving memoir lets readers into the most intimate parts of his soul.

Originally published in 1925, “The New Negro” is a collection of fiction, non fiction and poetry curated by Alain Locke. With works from Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston and Countee Cullen, this is a must-read tribute to the Harlem Renaissance.

“The Other Side of Paradise” is a candid memoir from poet and activist Staceyann Chin. She writes openly about her experience growing up in Jamaica and how she managed to find identity after being abandoned by her parents.

“Black Boy Out of Time” is Hari Ziyad’s touching memoir about growing up Black and queer in the Midwest. Raised by a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, Ziyad shares his story of daring to challenge the standards of race and gender to live their best life.

“Notes of a Native Son” is a series of essays written by James Baldwin that include his reflections on race in the United States and Europe.

Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel “Invisible Man” tells the story of a young college-educated Black man who is struggling to find his identity. The narrator is purposely nameless to emphasize the experience of being a Black man in America. The book caused controversy in a Washington school district in 1994 after parents raised concerns about violence and profanity included in the book.

“The Fire Next Time” was an instant bestseller when it was published in 1963. It gives readers a glimpse of the consequences of racial inequality through the lens of James Baldwin’s account of his early life in Harlem. He writes, “Color is not a human or a personal reality; it is a political reality.” It’s almost impossible not to be moved by Baldwin’s reflections on the need for justice.

Richard Wright’s “Native Son” tells the story of a Black man who killed a white woman in a moment of panic. Although Wright’s story was meant to make a powerful statement on the impact of racism, it has been challenged by several school districts around the country for containing “sexually explicit content.”

James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room is a stunning novel set in 1950s Paris that should be on everyone’s required reading list. David, an American man meets and proposes to a young woman, but finds himself involved in an affair with a male Italian bartender. You’ll find yourself drawn into the story as David struggles with his sexual identity while navigating the two relationships.

The New York Times bestseller, All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto, was one of the most talked-about books of 2020 and stays in the crosshairs of conservatives who make it the target of banned books lists around the country. The collection of deeply personal essays explores everything good and bad about Johnson’s experience growing up Black and queer.

If you liked “The Fire Next Time,” “Between the World and Me” is a must-read. The book is written in the form of a letter from Ta-Nehisi Coates’ to his then-fifteen-year-old son, Samori. In this critically-acclaimed work, which won the 2015 National Book Award for Nonfiction, Coates offers his honest take on the realities of life as a Black man in the United States.

In “The Heart of a Woman,” Maya Angelou writes about her experience moving from California to New York with her son, Guy to be among the amazing community of Black artists. You’ll love how she brilliantly weaves fascinating stories of encounters with the likes of Billie Holiday and Malcolm X while trying to raise a young Black man as a single mother.

And her first novel, “The Bluest Eye,” is one of her best. The heartbreaking story centers around Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old Black girl who prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be beautiful in a world with standards of beauty that don’t include her.