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Languages of Home: Essays on Writing, Hoop, and American Lives, 1971–2025
The first ever collection of John Edgar Wideman’s most influential essays and articles, five decades of cultural and literary criticism that paint a vivid portrait of America’s changing landscape and chronicle the emergence and evolution of a major presence in fiction.
John Edgar Wideman, renowned for his award-winning fiction and memoirs, first made waves in American literature with his sharp, insightful commentary. Now, for the first time, his extensive body of long-form journalism and essays, personally curated by Wideman himself and spanning nearly five decades of his remarkable career, showcase his intellectual depth and lasting influence.
Originally featured in publications such as Esquire, Vogue, and The New Yorker, Wideman’s writings explore the core of American culture, politics, and identity. With his unique perspective on iconic figures like Zora Neale Hurston, Malcolm X, Spike Lee, Emmett Till, and Michael Jordan, Wideman offers a fresh view on the changing tides of American society. Hailed as a “master of language” by The New York Times, Wideman’s prose is both relatable and profound, making this collection a perfect introduction for newcomers and a treasured addition for longtime admirers.
This volume goes beyond mere compilation; it narrates the story of a nation in transition, from the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement to the rise of the Obama era and beyond. Critics have consistently lauded Wideman’s skill in blending personal narrative with broader cultural observations, and this collection promises to captivate and inspire, reinforcing Wideman’s standing as a literary luminary and a cornerstone of American literature.
John Edgar Wideman, renowned for his award-winning fiction and memoirs, first made waves in American literature with his sharp, insightful commentary. Now, for the first time, his extensive body of long-form journalism and essays, personally curated by Wideman himself and spanning nearly five decades of his remarkable career, showcase his intellectual depth and lasting influence.
Originally featured in publications such as Esquire, Vogue, and The New Yorker, Wideman’s writings explore the core of American culture, politics, and identity. With his unique perspective on iconic figures like Zora Neale Hurston, Malcolm X, Spike Lee, Emmett Till, and Michael Jordan, Wideman offers a fresh view on the changing tides of American society. Hailed as a “master of language” by The New York Times, Wideman’s prose is both relatable and profound, making this collection a perfect introduction for newcomers and a treasured addition for longtime admirers.
This volume goes beyond mere compilation; it narrates the story of a nation in transition, from the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement to the rise of the Obama era and beyond. Critics have consistently lauded Wideman’s skill in blending personal narrative with broader cultural observations, and this collection promises to captivate and inspire, reinforcing Wideman’s standing as a literary luminary and a cornerstone of American literature.
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
400 pages, Hardcover
Published November 18, 2025
3 people are currently reading
2752 people want to read
About the author
John Edgar Wideman
95 books410 followersA widely-celebrated writer and the winner of many literary awards, he is the first to win the International PEN/Faulkner Award twice: in 1984 for Sent for You Yesterday and in 1990 for Philadelphia Fire. In 2000 he won the O. Henry Award for his short story "Weight", published in The Callaloo Journal.
In March, 2010, he self-published "Briefs," a new collection of microstories, on Lulu.com. Stories from the book have already been selected for the O Henry Prize for 2010 and the Best African-American Fiction 2010 award.
His nonfiction book Brothers and Keepers received a National Book Award. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School, then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he became an All-Ivy League forward on the basketball team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship (New College, Oxford University, England), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Critics Circle nomination, and his memoir Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant. Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1998, for outstanding achievement in that genre. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction.
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies Department, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's MFA Program for Poets & Writers. He currently teaches at Brown University, and he sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions.
In March, 2010, he self-published "Briefs," a new collection of microstories, on Lulu.com. Stories from the book have already been selected for the O Henry Prize for 2010 and the Best African-American Fiction 2010 award.
His nonfiction book Brothers and Keepers received a National Book Award. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and much of his writing is set there, especially in the Homewood neighborhood of the East End. He graduated from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School, then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he became an All-Ivy League forward on the basketball team. He was the second African-American to win a Rhodes Scholarship (New College, Oxford University, England), graduating in 1966. He also graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Critics Circle nomination, and his memoir Fatheralong was a finalist for the National Book Award. He is also the recipient of a MacArthur genius grant. Wideman was chosen as winner of the Rea Award for the Short Story in 1998, for outstanding achievement in that genre. In 1997, his novel The Cattle Killing won the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction.
He has taught at the University of Wyoming, University of Pennsylvania, where he founded and chaired the African American Studies Department, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst's MFA Program for Poets & Writers. He currently teaches at Brown University, and he sits on the contributing editorial board of the literary journal Conjunctions.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 12, 2025
Essential reading especially in today's climate. These essays that begin in the 1970's are a window into what it means living with a different skin color, and sadly, how little progress has been made overall particularly considering a backslide that we are experiencing right now due to the policies of the current administration. Beautifully written by a master of words.
December 15, 2025
Oh yes. A wordsmith extraordinaire! John Edgar Wideman brings all his experience and extensive gifts to this essay collection. Here he thoroughly engages with the relationship between language, identity and home. The prose is consistently compelling and complex. One of the strengths of Mr. Wideman is how he manages to work in the biographical with commentary on society. In that way, he is always looking forward but also looking home while centering the present. Profound. I know. How does language shape identity? How does speech and vernacular grow from culture? In essay after essay, Mr. Wideman seems to grapple with these questions. This is a work that will jump start your mind and provoke you into thought. This one should not be missed. Special thanks to Edelweiss and Scribner for an advanced DRC. Book is available now!
February 4, 2026
There’s a reason that Languages of Home is so highly regarded. This collection highlights John Edgar Wideman’s long, influential career as a thoughtful, observant writer tackling systemic issues in our culture. He is obviously brilliant. As a career-spanning work, the book holds significant literary and cultural importance.
That said, I struggled to enjoy it. I often found the essays verbose and long-winded. While Wideman’s reflective style is clearly intentional, it made the reading experience feel dense and slow for me. At times, the language felt more distancing than inviting, and I had trouble staying engaged.
I can see this book being very rewarding for readers who enjoy meditative, expansive essays and are willing to sit with complex prose. For those who prefer tighter, more direct writing, it may be a challenging read.
That said, I struggled to enjoy it. I often found the essays verbose and long-winded. While Wideman’s reflective style is clearly intentional, it made the reading experience feel dense and slow for me. At times, the language felt more distancing than inviting, and I had trouble staying engaged.
I can see this book being very rewarding for readers who enjoy meditative, expansive essays and are willing to sit with complex prose. For those who prefer tighter, more direct writing, it may be a challenging read.
January 1, 2026
Languages of Home by John Edgar Wideman feels like sitting with someone who’s been paying attention to America for fifty years and is still startlingly current.
This collection pulls together essays on writing, basketball, history, and home, and somehow makes all of them feel like the same conversation. Wideman was writing in the 70s about inherited language, moving between worlds, and learning how to speak differently depending on where you stand, long before we had the vocabulary we use now. He treats a basketball court like a classroom, home like a language that follows you everywhere, and history as something we’re still actively living inside.
If you love Hanif Abdurraqib, you’ll feel the lineage immediately. Basketball as belonging. Memory as motion. Culture as a way of surviving. Put them side by side and you can see a whole tradition of Black essayists mapping America through lived experience.
Standout pieces include a devastating essay on Emmett Till, reflections on Michael Jordan and playground ball as democracy, and craft essays about how language can both save you and fail you. The voice is sharp, lyrical, and restless, shaped by someone who understands how fragile and powerful words can be.
This is one of those books that gives you history, culture, and emotional weight without ever feeling forced.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from Scribner, and I loved it.
This collection pulls together essays on writing, basketball, history, and home, and somehow makes all of them feel like the same conversation. Wideman was writing in the 70s about inherited language, moving between worlds, and learning how to speak differently depending on where you stand, long before we had the vocabulary we use now. He treats a basketball court like a classroom, home like a language that follows you everywhere, and history as something we’re still actively living inside.
If you love Hanif Abdurraqib, you’ll feel the lineage immediately. Basketball as belonging. Memory as motion. Culture as a way of surviving. Put them side by side and you can see a whole tradition of Black essayists mapping America through lived experience.
Standout pieces include a devastating essay on Emmett Till, reflections on Michael Jordan and playground ball as democracy, and craft essays about how language can both save you and fail you. The voice is sharp, lyrical, and restless, shaped by someone who understands how fragile and powerful words can be.
This is one of those books that gives you history, culture, and emotional weight without ever feeling forced.
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from Scribner, and I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews