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7th out of 22 books
—
23 voters
Going to Meet the Man
"There's no way not to suffer. But you try all kinds of ways to keep from drowning in it." The men and women in these eight short fictions grasp this truth on an elemental level, and their stories, as told by James Baldwin, detail the ingenious and often desperate ways in which they try to keep their head above water. It may be the heroin that a down-and-out jazz pianist u...more
Paperback, First Vintage International, 249 pages
Published
April 25th 1995
by Vintage Books a division of Random House
(first published 1965)
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what can i say, i love "sonny's blues" too. the rest of his writing appeals to me, but not as much. i have a really bad memory but i can still remember reading sonny's blues for the first time. that image of him playing the piano at the end and the "very cup of trembling" they might as well be etched into my brain matter. they've stuck with me for ten years, and i'll continue to be influenced by that story.
Everytime I read one of these short stories, in particular 'Going to meet the man', I found my jaw dropping open in amazement: the detail, the horror of human nature, Baldwin's ability and humanity through it all...completely awe-inspiring.
These eight short stories will leave you hungry for more writing my Baldwin. They are all powerful and each one a different perspective on the issue of race in America. Not beating a dead horse by any means they allow the reader to view first hand through the eyes of man, woman, child, black and white, what racial apartheid / hatred / apathy does to the doer, the recipient and the indifferent. Each story leaves an impression upon the psyche. Some more than others. Worth reading more than once.
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These stories were very haunting. Often an unexpected dimension is revealed toward the end of the story or in an unexpected place in the middle which lends the stories a sometimes spooky feel. The first story reminded me of a Flannery O'Connor. A number of the stories portrayed relationships on the margin... age and race differences, young gay relationships and extra-marital relationships. A relationship about to break up told from the point of view of the woman expecting to get dumped by her bo...more
My god, this was searing. A friend gave this to me because he'd seen me reading "Another Country", and through the first half of this collection of short stories I thought perhaps this was a different approach for Baldwin - gentler, less incandescently enraged. Some of his prose is so beautiful it catches in your throat if you try to read it aloud: the way he talks about loss (past and looming), the pain that suffuses the human condition, the love (amorous, frateral, parental) has a near viscera...more
Whew! I've put off reading Baldwin - having 1st heard of him as much as 35+ yrs ago. This was everything I expected it to be.. & more. I was expecting devastating looks at American racism & that was certainly there - esp in the sickening title story. But there's much, much more. The sensitiveness of the language is on a par w/ Nabokov. There were so many points that I cd relate to. Baldwin articulates everything in such a clear-headed way - he makes the characters so easy to feel - even...more
Amazing; my first exposure to James Baldwin was in my Modern American Literature class. The short story "Going to Meet the Man" lured me in, I resolved to read this whole book when I got the chance. It is a collection of several short stories by Baldwin, dissecting the ideas of love, hate, life, death, sexuality and race with his persistently poignant prose. The way he treats the subject of death is unlike any author I have encountered. The death of a child in both "The Man-Child" and "Sonny's B...more
O colecție compusă din opt povestiri, toate centrate, direct sau indirect, pe problema rasială, pe viața negrilor în Statele Unite, pe sărăcia din Harlem, pe abuzurile albilor, pe cicatricele sufletești pe care frica le lasă în urmă. Ultima povestire, și cea care dă numele volumului, e singura în care personajul principal e de partea cealaltă a baricadei, abuzatorul, nu abuzatul, albul, nu negrul, iar acesta rememorează un episod violent la care a asistat în copilărie: linșarea unui negru de căt...more
These collections of short stories from James Baldwin were for the most part a really intense, deep, and raw portrayal of the trials and tribulations of black people dealing with racism, bigotry, infidelity, and unimaginable pain and horrors that are very reflective of the African American experience.
They're all very well-written, however, the majority of these stories either are very boring or just don't really grab the reader's attention long enough to read it in its entirety.
The highlights:...more
They're all very well-written, however, the majority of these stories either are very boring or just don't really grab the reader's attention long enough to read it in its entirety.
The highlights:...more
I appreciate his realistic representation of those times, and the horror that they were for the African American population in the USA. I don't mean to discredit anything that Baldwin wrote.
I gave only two stars simply because I did not enjoy reading it very much, doubt I will ever want to read it again, and did not experience any historical revelations along the way.
I gave only two stars simply because I did not enjoy reading it very much, doubt I will ever want to read it again, and did not experience any historical revelations along the way.
This is Baldwin's collection of short stories. At first I wanted to give it a 4 because I did not like the first two stories. But then the other 6 stories blew me away, so I have decided to give 'Going to Meet the Man' 5 stars for those.
These haunting stories have made a deep impression on me. Each story is more intese than the last one. While at least one of the stories was in first person, it is kind of hard to remember which ones exactly, because he really has a way of writing in 3rd person...more
These haunting stories have made a deep impression on me. Each story is more intese than the last one. While at least one of the stories was in first person, it is kind of hard to remember which ones exactly, because he really has a way of writing in 3rd person...more
Sep 15, 2011
Arthur Camara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
black-lit,
good-black-fiction
I remember reading this collection of stories towards the end of my time in college. The short story that stood out the most was "A Previous Condition". I was just getting it in my head to try writing my own fiction, and Baldwin's story about a reluctant Negro really changed my thinking about using literary fiction to suggest and discuss ideas and social beliefs. James Baldwin has written better and more important works, but these stories, especially "A Previous Condition" was personally importa...more
James Baldwin’s talents as an author are as numerous as the many subjects he addresses in Going to Meet the Man, a collection of short stories originally published in 1965. These stories can be analyzed from many different perspectives, and Baldwin’s use of point of view, for example, often switches back and forth from the oppressor to the oppressed. However, no matter which perspective Baldwin writes, he does so with an unflinching understanding of origins. In the title story, Jesse, a racist m...more
Oct 21, 2009
Babydoll
added it
What can I say except, "Wow"! This was an exceptionally written book of short stories that gives the reader a vivid view of the negative side of humanity. My favorite stories were 'The Man Child' and 'Going To Meet the Man'. The latter was superbly written with such intense detail, that at some points it was a bit difficult to read. However, it really gives the reader an intense look at the evils of the mistreatment of African Americans, particularly the men. James Baldwin, once again, shows the...more
James Baldwin's work is stunning; it's thoughtful and thought provoking, progressive, and beautifully human. His stunning prose forces the reader to think outside the box. He reflects on the human condition and the interaction between various relationships. His characters battle with race issues and gender identity with a raw intensity. The stories are often challenging but they bring with them a lesson to be learned.
I read this awhile ago, and the only stories that I can remember are "The Rockpile" and "Sonny's Blues". I remember the former so much because I believe that this was the first book of short stories that I read by an author whose characters are repeated from a novel ( Go Tell It on the Mountain . I remember the latter because I revisited this stand-alone short story as an English major.
Short but good read.
Short but good read.
God, I love James Baldwin. The first couple of stories were less impressive. I think they were unconvincing because he was reaching back to relate to the people of his childhood. But when he starts writing about people like James Baldwin the author--fish out of water black people in a white world, characters who are at the top of their field and straddling two societies--it's really first-rate.
To me these short stories (except Going To Meet The Man) are not as good as Blues For Mister Charlie or the essays in Notes Of A Native Son. That being said, Going To Meet The Man is among the best short fiction pieces I have ever read. Baldwin displays in a compact and powerful text the intertwining of race hatred, sex(uality), and sadism necessary to maintain an overtly racist system of oppression.
From the first paragraphs to the last of this collection, there is hard to find a wrong note. These stories are fantastic and a very long overdue introduction to James Baldwin. The penultimate stories before the title story could have used a little more editing, but that's the only fault I can find. Sue me. I will be reading a lot more Baldwin in the future.
I have only read Sonny's Blues and Going to Meet the Man. Sonny's Blues was good but in my opinion Going to Meet the Man might be one of the most well crafted short stories ever written. The intensity of emotion, the finely wrought language. The plain and simple fact that Baldwin, was able to bring a sense of reality to his character. Brilliant.
My first foray into Baldwin, likely to be the first of many. Excellent writing. I'm hovering between three and four stars, perhaps only because I picked this up as an audiobook for my commute. I understand why the titular story is the last in the collection, but wow my god was it difficult to listen to out loud, especially when followed by driving silence.
This is a book of short short stories; some of which are not for the faint of heart. My favorite ones were "This Morning, This Evening, So Soon" "Come Out the Wilderness" "The Outing" and "Sonny's Blues". Even though the others are difficult to read all the way through because they are emotionally pulling, they're worth it.
The title story Going to Meet the Man is alright, but among the most memorable short stories I've ever read are The Man Child, Sonny's Blues and This Morning, This Evening, So Soon. The best among them would be Sonny's Blues. Excellent collection overall.
The more James Baldwin I read, the more faith I find myself having in the future of the written word. Baldwin feels like that brilliant college professor who exposes you to ideas and experiences that challenge the very core of who you are--or thought you were.
This week one of my African-American students, 19 years old, told the class he is a racist. When I asked him to explain he only said, "Well, everyone's racist." I first started reading James Baldwin many years ago, before I understood and acknowledged the truth of what my student said. I loved his writing but didn't know what to do with his rage. Today, with my consciousness somewhat raised, I find Baldwin just as compelling and even more troubling. All of these stories were painful to read and...more
Of course Baldwin writes beautifully in terms of word choice and order, but he's also brilliantly insightful about the way our social identities shape our internal thought processes and the way we interact with other humans.
Baldwin is simply one of my favorite writers on this planet. This collection of short stories always move me. His writing laces his religious background and his turmoil with present day angst. This is my 2nd reading.
This was my first James Baldwin book,there are two stories that stand out for me. "Previous Conditions" and "Going to meet the man", they were so detailed that you could feed the characters pain and anguish.
Baldwin continues to write moving short stories about what it is like to be a black man in America, and it is not a pleasant set of lessons. In each of the stories we feel his fear and understand his motivations. The stories left me sad about blacks' situation and about abusive fathers. He is an excellent writer because of his insight.
Good collection of short stories...my only issue is with two of the stories...I wish there was more to them. I wanted to know what else was going to happen but thus is the nature of short stories. The start and the end in a chapter or two.
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James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.
James Baldwin offered a vital literary voice during the era of civil rights activism in the 1950s and '60s. The eldest of nine children, his stepfather was a minister. At age 14, Bal...more
More about James Baldwin...
James Arthur Baldwin was an American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic.
James Baldwin offered a vital literary voice during the era of civil rights activism in the 1950s and '60s. The eldest of nine children, his stepfather was a minister. At age 14, Bal...more
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