James Baldwin: Living in Fire

by Bill V. Mullen

'A scrupulous biography' -  Publishers Weekly 'Fresh, incisive, and uplifting' -  Kirkus Bill V. Mullen celebrates the life of the great African-American writer who created some of his most important literary works, including the novels  Go Tell it on the Mountain  and  If Beale Street Could Talk . As a lifelong anti-imperialist, black queer advocate, and feminist, James Baldwin was a passionate chronicler of the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the US war against Vietnam, the Palestinian liberation struggle, and the rise of LGBTQ+ rights. Here, Mullen pays homage to Baldwin's radical approach to his life, writing, and activism. Fighting towards what he hoped would be a post-racial society, Baldwin's philosophy was tragically ahead of its time, predicting what has become the new civil rights movement today.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Biography Memoir, Queer, Politics, African American

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[Andrea Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read Baldwin and knew very little about him and found this to be a great introduction to his writing and his role in the civil rights movement. I also appreciated learning about the history and politics of the black power movement and the fragile relationships between different groups all fighting for their rights; black men, black women, Jews, LGBTQ.
This was more a description of Baldwin’s writings as they related to his life, rather than a biography. Mullen doesn’t write about his romantic relationships, for example. And his other relationships are briefly touched on. If you are looking for a biography of Baldwin, this might not be what you want, but it will give you an in depth look at how he thought.

[Kelly Brill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book, which is meant to highlight Baldwin's political life (though from a literary point of view, it's a bit uneven.)

Baldwin's childhood in and escape from Harlem "created two roles for him as an American writer: as survivor and witness." His years in exile led to his description of his homeland "as a place that functioned to repress, depress, or destroy young black men like himself. Yet rather than succumb, Baldwin developed a capacious, revolutionary theory and practice of lived resistance to capitalism, imperialism, and oppression fueled by a lifetime of study, engagement, and creative tension..."

Baldwin saw in Ronald Reagan "a consummation of cowboy culture masculinity, a political incarnation of the 'Gary Cooper' figure of the American Western..."

The "life of fire" Baldwin lived in included living in the crosshairs of a US government that conceived of him as an enemy of the state, a mantle he came to wear proudly.

He was surveilled by J. Edgar Hoover's FBI extensively.

I knew about lynchings, of course, and I knew about the great migration, but I don't remember ever hearing about the "Red Summer" of 1919 when African-Amerian soldiers and workers were beaten and killed on the streets of cities like East St. Louis or on the "killing floor" of Chicago slaughter houses by white workers after filling their jobs during WWI.

Many of Baldwin's early writings show him attempting to reframe or explain his move away from the Christianity of his youth - one book would examine "the growing estrangement between the church and the Negro people, the conflict between the paradise beyond the sky and the ever-growing hope and determination not to wait that long and not to take much more."

The rise of the Civil Rights movement lured Baldwin home. In 1963 he engaged in a speaking tour for CORE (Congress for Racial Equality), yielding more than $20,000 and 65,000 new members for that organization.

He knew everyone from King to Evers to Malcolm to Angelou. He wrote about police brutality, the VietNam War, the criminal justice system. He once spoke to the World Council of Churches. He was criticized for not speaking up more about homophobia and feminism.

In the early decades of his career he barely survived financially; in fact, he was at times suicidal. If he experienced much joy in his personal or professional life, it's not documented here.

Fascinating to read it in January of 2025 as the war in Gaza rages, as we celebrate the life of Jimmy Carter. Instructive to read Baldwin's observations about race, in particular. I had not realized how many intersections there were/are between America's civil rights movement and other international movements - how many US civil rights leaders have spoken out about Palestine over the years.

Some quotes:

"The truth is that the bulk of white people in America never had any interest in educating black people, except as this could serve white purposes..."

"...words are dangerous in the best possible way..."

"...the police are simply the hired enemies of this population. They are present to keep the Negro in his place and to protect white business interests, and they have no other function. This is why those pious calls to 'respect the law,' always to be heard from prominent citizens each time the ghetto explodes, are so obscene."

"...people who are living in fire have no sympathy with them who are afraid of the fire..."

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up thinking it was a biography of James Baldwin’s life. Less of a biography, it instead was a deep literary analysis of Baldwin’s writing (published and unpublished) throughout his life. Analysis pursued the ways Baldwin’s social, political, and economic belief systems evolved and intersected across his lifespan. The book took a deep dive in how Baldwin’s writing matched to the social and political goings on in the world around him as a direct commentary. I learned a significant amount about Baldwin’s beliefs and history as an activist and writer, and was intrigued as to the depth of analysis Bill V. Mullen explored in this book.

[Greg Florez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads Clunky at times but is an amazingly thorough treatment of the politics and writings of Baldwin.

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less biographical than it is a tapestry of black experience in retrospect, Bill Mullen weaves together the words and writings of novelist James Baldwin as well as those who came into Baldwin’s orbit, giving an indirect chronology of a brilliant and soft-spoken man whose life spanned an alternatively controversial and lesser-acknowledged cross-section of American history. What Mullen carefully masks in his reasoned narrative of a black man’s legacy is that he himself is white, requiring that he be exponentially more cautious in his handling of the subject, which he does beautifully and ever so critically, a reality of conscience I chose to admit, at the onset, when writing The Segregated Hour.

[Caleb Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mullen slips into critiquing what Baldwin doesn’t say in his work. Which I feel is a bit of a moot point to make. There is plenty he doesn’t mention in his prolific career. However Mullen does give a great account of Baldwin’s life, influences and work. He allows Baldwin’s genius to shine through his writing.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read through the book because Baldwin is a heroic figure in my estimation, and the details of his life and work are fascinating. The book, however, suffers from a lack of good editing. It's half biography, half literary criticism with a whole lot of chronological confusion and repetition. Still, it's a rare and very detailed account of Baldwin's work in the context of his life, his places of residence, his acquaintances with powerful civil rights figures of the time, his relationships and how he was viewed by everyone from literary critics to the FBI.

[Ronan Doyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beset by some curious structural choices that get in the way of an otherwise brisk, effective biography. Foremost among them is the insistence on opening each chapter with three to four quotes and then later invoking them with lines like "as alluded to earlier"; a sterner edit might have gone a long way. Not wholly convinced either by Mullen's case for a new life of Baldwin: "cos he's popular" sounds awfully like "cos it'll sell".

[Simon Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

[Athelstan Mack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about James Baldwin in this book. Although, I must say that this is a tough read. Redundancy throughout and it became laborious to finish.

[Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to the life, work, and legacy of James Baldwin! I felt like it jumped from topic to topic really fast and didn’t spent enough time on some topics though.

[Matthew Molinaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

a glorious intellectual/cultural/activist biography of Baldwin! will return. love the series from Pluto press "revolutionary lives"

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and concise Baldwin biography. Focuses on the development and expression of his political views through his life and work.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Editing could be stronger. If you're new to Baldwin, it will likely provide more insights than those more accustomed to his work. In addition to grammar errors, the one mistake I just couldn't forgive is a reference to the trans activist "Martha" P. Johnson. It's Marsha and considering how often her name and image are invoked culturally, it's sad to see such a blatant error.