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James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era
By the 1980s, critics and the public alike considered James Baldwin irrelevant. Yet Baldwin remained an important, prolific writer until his death in 1987. Indeed, his work throughout the decade pushed him into new areas, in particular an expanded interest in the social and psychological consequences of popular culture and mass media. Joseph Vogel offers the first in-depth look at Baldwin's dynamic final decade of work. Delving into the writer's creative endeavors, crucial essays and articles, and the impassioned polemic The Evidence of Things Not Seen, Vogel finds Baldwin as prescient and fearless as ever. Baldwin's sustained grappling with "the great transforming energy" of mass culture revealed his gifts for media and cultural criticism. It also brought him into the fray on issues ranging from the Reagan-era culture wars to the New South, from the deterioration of inner cities to the disproportionate incarceration of black youth, and from pop culture gender-bending to the evolving women's and gay rights movements.
Astute and compelling, James Baldwin and the 1980s revives and redeems the final act of a great American writer.
Astute and compelling, James Baldwin and the 1980s revives and redeems the final act of a great American writer.
- GenresHistory
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2018
8 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Vogel
48 books48 followersJOSEPH VOGEL is the author of several books, including Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (Sterling), James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era (University of Illinois Press) and This Thing Called Life: Prince, Race, Sex, Religion, and Music (Bloomsbury Academic). His work has appeared in the The Atlantic, The Guardian, Slate, The Huffington Post, Forbes, Boston Review, and PopMatters. He is an Assistant Professor at Merrimack College in Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
March 28, 2018
“All of us are chasing Baldwin—even if we don’t know it.” ~ Ta-Nehisi Coates
A distinguished American author, writer, social critic, James Baldwin (1924-1987) was the oldest of 9 children born in Harlem, N.Y.C.. Eventually he would move abroad, settle in France, and observe the distinct cultural differences he wrote about as he taught and lectured at prominent American colleges and universities. “James Baldwin and The 1980’s: Witnessing The Reagan Era” written by Joseph Vogel is an important introduction to Baldwin’s religious, political, racial and cultural studies.
Cultural influence was easily manipulated by the media. President Ronald Reagan, the “great communicator” was first known as an actor in American Cowboy Western movies popular in the 1950’s-60’s. Reagan was celebrated and promoted as the ideal version of American manhood/masculinity (1980-88). Reagan was photographed at the white house with Michael Jackson, who sported an unusual military like uniform featuring high-water pants. The “freakish” differences between the two men were striking, and compared endlessly in the news media.
At the time Jackson hadn’t been acknowledged as the global phenomenon in black entertainment history he would become. Black entertainment was considered the “lower forms” of talent, music, movies etc. even as the work of Michael Jackson, Prince, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and later Eddie Murphy soared in popularity. Baldwin would despair in disillusionment over the tragic ending to so many black artists/professionals, entertainers: “The Price May Be Too High” (1969) in a white dominated industry. In Hollywood, the leading men were straight white men with glamourous white women: the racism, sexism and homophobia were glaringly apparent, according to Baldwin.
The most scathing criticism was reserved for the evangelical Christian church: Jerry Falwell’s Republican dominated Moral Majority through his Liberty University, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s PTL television Ministry with the enormous Disney Land Christian theme park, Pat Robertson’s 700 Club. These elite judgmental pastors knowingly lived in excessive wealth and luxury while so many of their followers lived in poverty. This (white) dominated Christianity; merged too closely with the popular media, conservative politics and capitalism—religion mass produced, packaged and sold. Christianity, Baldwin noted was “arrogant, intolerant and cruel.” though he recalled the celebratory style of the black churches he was raised in, his step-father was a minister.
Regarding the Atlanta Child Murders (1979-81) Baldwin noted that the guilty verdict of Wayne B. Williams believed to be responsible for all 28 deaths involving children, youth and young adults was false and inaccurate. Williams was actually linked and charged in only two murders. Public opinion was heavily influenced by Williams being racially profiled in the media as a “black gay man” and a “pedophile.” The black community had other ideas about possible suspects that didn’t include Wayne B. Williams. Curiously, the list of other suspects and possible affiliation through the KKK wasn’t fully investigated by authorities. There was a strong incentive and pressure by the police and prosecutors to “solve” the case, and Williams was an easy target and “Scapegoat” for all the child murders. If Williams wasn’t guilty of all these crimes, the actual murderers were never charged, the possibility of a cover-up is chilling as facts were likely changed, altered and/or distorted.
As a gay black man, Baldwin constantly reflected on the harsh and extreme differences between white America and black America. These differences could not be politely ignored. Baldwin, a visionary, realized with the loss of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, his voice was among the last of his generation to be heard; yet Baldwin’s powerful ideology remains with us today, represented in the increased interest and study of his writing and in the dignity and pride of Black Lives Matter. **With thanks and appreciation to the University of Illinois Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
A distinguished American author, writer, social critic, James Baldwin (1924-1987) was the oldest of 9 children born in Harlem, N.Y.C.. Eventually he would move abroad, settle in France, and observe the distinct cultural differences he wrote about as he taught and lectured at prominent American colleges and universities. “James Baldwin and The 1980’s: Witnessing The Reagan Era” written by Joseph Vogel is an important introduction to Baldwin’s religious, political, racial and cultural studies.
Cultural influence was easily manipulated by the media. President Ronald Reagan, the “great communicator” was first known as an actor in American Cowboy Western movies popular in the 1950’s-60’s. Reagan was celebrated and promoted as the ideal version of American manhood/masculinity (1980-88). Reagan was photographed at the white house with Michael Jackson, who sported an unusual military like uniform featuring high-water pants. The “freakish” differences between the two men were striking, and compared endlessly in the news media.
At the time Jackson hadn’t been acknowledged as the global phenomenon in black entertainment history he would become. Black entertainment was considered the “lower forms” of talent, music, movies etc. even as the work of Michael Jackson, Prince, Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and later Eddie Murphy soared in popularity. Baldwin would despair in disillusionment over the tragic ending to so many black artists/professionals, entertainers: “The Price May Be Too High” (1969) in a white dominated industry. In Hollywood, the leading men were straight white men with glamourous white women: the racism, sexism and homophobia were glaringly apparent, according to Baldwin.
The most scathing criticism was reserved for the evangelical Christian church: Jerry Falwell’s Republican dominated Moral Majority through his Liberty University, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s PTL television Ministry with the enormous Disney Land Christian theme park, Pat Robertson’s 700 Club. These elite judgmental pastors knowingly lived in excessive wealth and luxury while so many of their followers lived in poverty. This (white) dominated Christianity; merged too closely with the popular media, conservative politics and capitalism—religion mass produced, packaged and sold. Christianity, Baldwin noted was “arrogant, intolerant and cruel.” though he recalled the celebratory style of the black churches he was raised in, his step-father was a minister.
Regarding the Atlanta Child Murders (1979-81) Baldwin noted that the guilty verdict of Wayne B. Williams believed to be responsible for all 28 deaths involving children, youth and young adults was false and inaccurate. Williams was actually linked and charged in only two murders. Public opinion was heavily influenced by Williams being racially profiled in the media as a “black gay man” and a “pedophile.” The black community had other ideas about possible suspects that didn’t include Wayne B. Williams. Curiously, the list of other suspects and possible affiliation through the KKK wasn’t fully investigated by authorities. There was a strong incentive and pressure by the police and prosecutors to “solve” the case, and Williams was an easy target and “Scapegoat” for all the child murders. If Williams wasn’t guilty of all these crimes, the actual murderers were never charged, the possibility of a cover-up is chilling as facts were likely changed, altered and/or distorted.
As a gay black man, Baldwin constantly reflected on the harsh and extreme differences between white America and black America. These differences could not be politely ignored. Baldwin, a visionary, realized with the loss of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, his voice was among the last of his generation to be heard; yet Baldwin’s powerful ideology remains with us today, represented in the increased interest and study of his writing and in the dignity and pride of Black Lives Matter. **With thanks and appreciation to the University of Illinois Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
April 13, 2018
I will be honest, after dabbling with Baldwin through my initial read of 'Go Tell It on the Mountain' and having been inundated with myriad think pieces and Op-Eds in our current Baldwin revival, the man still remains a mystery to me. But it is very much like novelists and literary minds to write the first draft of the hermeneutics of our culture and politics.
I really enjoyed the way Vogel engages with each part of Baldwin's artistry - both books fiction and nonfiction, and plays - to make sense of his era's enigmatic black voice. On the one hand, for his ability to tap into the American zeitgeist, there was a pressure to throw on the cloak of direct activism. Yet on the other hand, Baldwin was gay, and dealt with the constant dissonance of how sexual ethics was conceived within the black community. Then, there were the string of assassinations of all who chose to spread the gospel of social equality, equity, civil rights, and the march to freedom. Baldwin had to weigh out not only how he could best dissect the surreptitious politics that disenfranchised black lives but also what form his voice would be most effectively received. In addition, he had to think about what it meant for him to simply live.
Vogel knits all of these pieces together to give us a very satisfying impression of a portrait of James Baldwin in relation to the progressivism of his time and to show us why his words have become especially poignant as our politics of sexuality continues to evolve (into what James Baldwin had always envisioned on the level of societal acceptance) and increasingly comprehensive understanding of systemic racism continues to spread like a contagion, rescuing public consciousness from the lie that racism has been eradicated.
This ARC was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the way Vogel engages with each part of Baldwin's artistry - both books fiction and nonfiction, and plays - to make sense of his era's enigmatic black voice. On the one hand, for his ability to tap into the American zeitgeist, there was a pressure to throw on the cloak of direct activism. Yet on the other hand, Baldwin was gay, and dealt with the constant dissonance of how sexual ethics was conceived within the black community. Then, there were the string of assassinations of all who chose to spread the gospel of social equality, equity, civil rights, and the march to freedom. Baldwin had to weigh out not only how he could best dissect the surreptitious politics that disenfranchised black lives but also what form his voice would be most effectively received. In addition, he had to think about what it meant for him to simply live.
Vogel knits all of these pieces together to give us a very satisfying impression of a portrait of James Baldwin in relation to the progressivism of his time and to show us why his words have become especially poignant as our politics of sexuality continues to evolve (into what James Baldwin had always envisioned on the level of societal acceptance) and increasingly comprehensive understanding of systemic racism continues to spread like a contagion, rescuing public consciousness from the lie that racism has been eradicated.
This ARC was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 23, 2020
James Baldwin has always been a fascinating figure to me. His prose is brutally honest, and unforgiving. His stories are heartbreaking, yet I feel soothed and whole after spending time with his words. "Witnessing the Reagan Era" is an examination of his work in the 1980s, particularly his last novel, "Just Above My Head." The Reagan Era was characterized by an antidote to the malaise of the Carter administration, a new awakening for America, a land of endless possibility. Baldwin's is rooted in his own experience, where opportunities are more available to some than to others. The promise of the 1980s was particularly elusive to the black community, and Baldwin's work shows the complications of reaching the American Dream, particularly for a young, black, gay man.
Thanks to NetGalley and the University of Illinois Press for the opportunity to read and review this work.
Thanks to NetGalley and the University of Illinois Press for the opportunity to read and review this work.
May 7, 2018
Short Review: This is a narrow book on Baldwin in the last years of his life focusing on the books/articles/works toward the end of his life and the cultural history of the era that influenced those final (several unpublished) works.
I was born in the early 1970s. I remember Regan being elected, but it was very early consciousness for me. I graduated from high school in 91 and James Baldwin had passed away before I was even aware of his name. While I have been doing a lot of reading of history lately, I have not read much on large scale history since the early 70s even though this was not mostly about the larger history of the 80s, there was enough context to be helpful to think about what the broader cultural history was all about.
The most interesting chapters for me were 4 and 5. The fourth chapter was about the rise of the moral majority and Baldwin as critic of Christianity. As someone that read a lot of theology for fun and has been to seminary, I think Baldwin gets some aspects of Christianity wrong. But in some ways that are fairly common even among Christians. And I think that he gets a lot of his critique of the Televangelists and Moral Majority right because of their lack of focus on the oppressed.
The fifth chapter on the Atlanta Child murders was fascinating to me because I have been in Atlanta area for just over a decade now. I am not from here, but my wife's family is. So this chapter is local history. I did hear from a friend that there was some DNA connection to Williams and some of the murder victims so that would be interesting to have teased out a bit. But also it seems likely to me that there was a racial component to the murders as well. It was 1981 that a Black man was shot in Cumming for simply being in the town (it was a sunset town with no Black residents in the whole county until almost 2000-you can read Blood at the Root for more about that.)
I appreciated some of the directly connections between Baldwin and how he is understood today especially as a father figure for the Black Lives Matters moment.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/james-baldwin-and-th...
I was born in the early 1970s. I remember Regan being elected, but it was very early consciousness for me. I graduated from high school in 91 and James Baldwin had passed away before I was even aware of his name. While I have been doing a lot of reading of history lately, I have not read much on large scale history since the early 70s even though this was not mostly about the larger history of the 80s, there was enough context to be helpful to think about what the broader cultural history was all about.
The most interesting chapters for me were 4 and 5. The fourth chapter was about the rise of the moral majority and Baldwin as critic of Christianity. As someone that read a lot of theology for fun and has been to seminary, I think Baldwin gets some aspects of Christianity wrong. But in some ways that are fairly common even among Christians. And I think that he gets a lot of his critique of the Televangelists and Moral Majority right because of their lack of focus on the oppressed.
The fifth chapter on the Atlanta Child murders was fascinating to me because I have been in Atlanta area for just over a decade now. I am not from here, but my wife's family is. So this chapter is local history. I did hear from a friend that there was some DNA connection to Williams and some of the murder victims so that would be interesting to have teased out a bit. But also it seems likely to me that there was a racial component to the murders as well. It was 1981 that a Black man was shot in Cumming for simply being in the town (it was a sunset town with no Black residents in the whole county until almost 2000-you can read Blood at the Root for more about that.)
I appreciated some of the directly connections between Baldwin and how he is understood today especially as a father figure for the Black Lives Matters moment.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/james-baldwin-and-th...
May 27, 2021
Joseph Vogel's James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era is a truncated yet important glimpse at what the author characterizes as an ignored and discounted period of Baldwin's life as a writer and cultural critic. However, James Baldwin and the 1980s is less of a theoretical text than I expected. Vogel's book investigates how Baldwin's work from the 1980s "directly engages with the cultural moment in which it was written" (21). In this respect, James Baldwin and the 1980s explores how we should think of Baldwin's work from this period: as a mirror.
The book's final two chapters, on Evangelical Christianity and racism in Atlanta respectably, are easily the book's best. While Chapter 2 examines the effect Reagan had on notions of masculinity (notions that, frankly, seem antiquated and restrictive 40 years later), Chapters 4 and 5 showcase Reagan's enduring impact on America's cultural and political consciousness. Nostalgia for the 80s, think of shows like Stranger Things, hides how the 80s remain with far too many of us. This extends to our beliefs, policies, and institutional norms. While searching for and longing for the 80s, we fail to recognize how it never really left us. In this way, Baldwin's work for the 1980s is more than a mirror, because according to Vogel, "His words speak to the present in ways that seem not only relevant but also prophetic" (114).
Perhaps I want more from James Baldwin and the 1980s. I want a more developed theoretical framework. I want more than five chapters. While I like, enjoy, and appreciate James Baldwin and the 1980s, I simply want more.
The book's final two chapters, on Evangelical Christianity and racism in Atlanta respectably, are easily the book's best. While Chapter 2 examines the effect Reagan had on notions of masculinity (notions that, frankly, seem antiquated and restrictive 40 years later), Chapters 4 and 5 showcase Reagan's enduring impact on America's cultural and political consciousness. Nostalgia for the 80s, think of shows like Stranger Things, hides how the 80s remain with far too many of us. This extends to our beliefs, policies, and institutional norms. While searching for and longing for the 80s, we fail to recognize how it never really left us. In this way, Baldwin's work for the 1980s is more than a mirror, because according to Vogel, "His words speak to the present in ways that seem not only relevant but also prophetic" (114).
Perhaps I want more from James Baldwin and the 1980s. I want a more developed theoretical framework. I want more than five chapters. While I like, enjoy, and appreciate James Baldwin and the 1980s, I simply want more.
March 9, 2018
As the title of Vogel’s book suggests, we’re shown that Baldwin, while generally tied to the Civil Rights Movement, continued to create profound and arguably prescient work in the last decade of his life.
I’m admittedly still relatively new to his thoughts (something I’m working to correct at a neck-break speed), and Vogel has packaged together a read that’s simply stupendous in amassing his works, providing clear analysis to help understand and decipher, as well as adding context where required. It’s not a heavy or intimidating read, and Vogel’s writing style flows with ease, never leaving you behind or becoming unnecessarily bogged down with superfluous details.
Equally intriguing and worth mentioning is the brief explanation given on the rise of “televangelists” that occurs about halfway through. Their advent is shown juxtaposed against the opinions of Baldwin in one chapter, and it’s a humbling discovery or reminder, depending on who you are.
Being one of the great minds that died far too young, you might wonder what a guy like Baldwin thought of Reaganomics, Michael Jackson, or MTV. I mean, what kind of wisdom could he apply? Read Vogel’s book, and you’ll find out. I had a great time reading this. As with most anything you’d read that deals with attempts at racial harmony, prepare to absorb some information meant to, at the very least, compel, inspire, and disarm you.
I’m admittedly still relatively new to his thoughts (something I’m working to correct at a neck-break speed), and Vogel has packaged together a read that’s simply stupendous in amassing his works, providing clear analysis to help understand and decipher, as well as adding context where required. It’s not a heavy or intimidating read, and Vogel’s writing style flows with ease, never leaving you behind or becoming unnecessarily bogged down with superfluous details.
Equally intriguing and worth mentioning is the brief explanation given on the rise of “televangelists” that occurs about halfway through. Their advent is shown juxtaposed against the opinions of Baldwin in one chapter, and it’s a humbling discovery or reminder, depending on who you are.
Being one of the great minds that died far too young, you might wonder what a guy like Baldwin thought of Reaganomics, Michael Jackson, or MTV. I mean, what kind of wisdom could he apply? Read Vogel’s book, and you’ll find out. I had a great time reading this. As with most anything you’d read that deals with attempts at racial harmony, prepare to absorb some information meant to, at the very least, compel, inspire, and disarm you.
April 30, 2018
James Baldwin and the 1980s
Witnessing the Reagan Era
by Joseph Vogel
University of Illinois Press
Biographies & Memoirs , Nonfiction (Adult)
Pub Date 16 Apr 2018
I am reviewing a copy of James Baldwin and the 1980's through University of Illinois Press and Netgalley:
How does James Baldwin apply to the 1980's after all the majority of his work was published in the Civil Rights era , but he remained a prolific writer until his death in 1987.
In 1979 Baldwin's book Just Above My Head hit the bookstores. A full year before the 1980's but the Reagan Revolution was already underway. Baldwin's book Just Above My Head stretches out over three decades from the 1940's to the later 1970's, but a great amount of the book takes place in the 1950's.
Many believe there is a correlation between the 1950's and 1980's. His books covered the affects of Popular culture and Mass Media in his many published works. He wrote about topics that those in generations before him would not have been able to.
I give James Baldwin and the 1980's five out of five stars.
Happy Reading!
April 14, 2018
What can be said about James Baldwin? The man was a genius. Very complex man but held true to his beliefs and was not afraid to speak his mind. Very articulate speaker. This book takes us into the final years of this great man's work. This man work is valuable to us all. Thanks to Mr. Vogel for taking Mr. Baldwin's work and showing us how it still resounds in our day and time now. Very well written and a must for any fan of Mr. Baldwin's. Kudos to the author. Thank you kind sir for this wonderful book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
May 7, 2018
4.5*
Vogel provides insight not only into James Baldwin's final years but also into the complexity of 80s politics and culture, a lot of which sowed the seeds of our present political landscape. Far from being past his prime, contends Vogel, Baldwin had his finger on the pulse of a reality that was widely glossed-over and purposely obfuscated during the greed and glory Reagan Era. Aside from that, I felt that I got a sense of Baldwin's personal life. This book was well-researched, thought-out and interesting to read. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for the eARC. All views are my own.
Vogel provides insight not only into James Baldwin's final years but also into the complexity of 80s politics and culture, a lot of which sowed the seeds of our present political landscape. Far from being past his prime, contends Vogel, Baldwin had his finger on the pulse of a reality that was widely glossed-over and purposely obfuscated during the greed and glory Reagan Era. Aside from that, I felt that I got a sense of Baldwin's personal life. This book was well-researched, thought-out and interesting to read. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for the eARC. All views are my own.
January 9, 2020
This book was deep and not at all within my usual remit but I found it fascinating and so true. I had so many light bulb moments exclaiming out to myself in wonder, asking how I hadn't figured things for myself. This is such a sharp read. While Baldwin examined with extreme clarity the flaws and faults he recognised in his usual sphere of the civil rights movement, the inequalities he witnessed as a gay black man in the USA, he deals also, with absolute clarity, with "the great transforming energy" of mass culture and how it influenced all of society, This is a topic I intend to read so much more on and am excited about the prospect.
April 16, 2018
I got this ADC from Netgalley for review.
The last decade of James Baldwin's career has not gotten the same attention as the preceding years. This book examines some of the most prevalent themes of Baldwin's work in the 80s. I would recommend you read his non-fiction books and essays, and his Playboy interviews, prior to reading this examination of his work.
Recommended for anyone with a brain, and who understands that everything currently happening in the USA is directly related to what's happened before economically, socially, and politically.
The last decade of James Baldwin's career has not gotten the same attention as the preceding years. This book examines some of the most prevalent themes of Baldwin's work in the 80s. I would recommend you read his non-fiction books and essays, and his Playboy interviews, prior to reading this examination of his work.
Recommended for anyone with a brain, and who understands that everything currently happening in the USA is directly related to what's happened before economically, socially, and politically.
January 21, 2018
For James Baldwin fans and PoliSci enthusiasts alike, this novel brilliantly illustrates Baldwin's thoughts and perceptions during the Reagan era using his own words and excerpts from his later work. Baldwin demonstrates clearly why his ideals were important then, as well as now. He's showing us that in 2017 not much has changed and that many of the issues of which he was so passionate are still at the forefront in race and politics today.
February 23, 2018
I really really REALLY enjoyed this book. I love how Vogel dug deep into Baldwin's writings and used the current events of the time to bring the writings into a detailed view. We were able to see how Baldwin saw history unraveling and we're able to place ourselves in his shoes and in that time period. Being able to step into the time period and witness how Baldwin thought and wrote really elevated the affect of the book.
May 2, 2018
This meticulously researched book does fill in a gap that other researchers have not as of yet written about, specifically the last decade of Baldwin's life and work. If students need this for research, this is a good source. As a straight read about Baldwin, however, I always think the best writer about Baldwin is Baldwin. The best thing about reading Baldwin is the personal transaction we have while thinking about what he is saying to us. That is not what this book is for.
March 22, 2018
I first learned about the work of James Baldwin when I recently watched the film I am Not Your Negro and was absolutely stunned by it. When I got the chance to read this book as an arc, I was delighted as I was eager to find out more about this fascinating man. I certainly wasn't disappointed, this book was a delight to read. Very interesting and informative, I would certainly recommend.
December 15, 2019
This book took me a while to read but I’m so glad that I kept going with it because it’s a fascinating read. I’ve read a couple of James Baldwin’s well-known books but I didn’t know as much about him and the context of when he was writing as I thought I did. This book covers sexuality, racism and the AIDS crisis all in the context of the 1980s and the political agenda of the time. I was fascinated by the chapter on AIDS and the play that Baldwin wrote that has never been published. The author brought this play, and the themes Baldwin was exploring, to life for me so whilst I might never get a chance to see or read this play I have an understanding of the work now. I was also fascinated by the chapter that focused on the Atlanta child murders. I’d heard about these murders from watching Mindhunter on Netflix but didn’t know anymore about it than that so I was appalled to read more of the background and aftermath of this case. Baldwin was fascinated by the focus on race and sexuality during the case and had a lot to say about how the case was handled. I’ve now put Baldwin’s Evidence of Things Not Seen on my wish list and I think this will be the next book of his that I pick up. This is quite an academic book but it’s absolutely well worth a read, I recommend it!
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
This review was originally posted on my blog https://rathertoofondofbooks.com
April 2, 2018
First of all I love love love James Baldwin and this book is obviously about James Baldwin so it already meets a lot of my criteria for a good book.
This book is an attempt to combat the claim that Baldwin's latter works (so those from, as the title might suggest, the 1980s) were less relevant to his context and ours. To do this, the book identifies several key themes from the 1980s, matches a particular theme to one of Baldwin's works from the 1980s, and shows the ways in which Baldwin's work was in fact in a dialogue with these particular themes from the 1980s.
This book is obviously in service of a nobel cause, and it's really excellent for providing some contextual knowledge about America in the 1980s, Baldwin's works and Baldwin himself. I love it for that and I'm glad I have this knowledge. However, because this book, for me, largely served as a device to provide context, I was left kinda unsatisfied. I was left feeling as though this book wasn't as meaty or as detailed as I wanted it to be. Part of my problem was probably that I was unable to identify what literary niche this book fit in, so I was left unsure of what to expect from it. Again though, I'm still happy I read it even though I remain a bit unsatisfied.
This book is an attempt to combat the claim that Baldwin's latter works (so those from, as the title might suggest, the 1980s) were less relevant to his context and ours. To do this, the book identifies several key themes from the 1980s, matches a particular theme to one of Baldwin's works from the 1980s, and shows the ways in which Baldwin's work was in fact in a dialogue with these particular themes from the 1980s.
This book is obviously in service of a nobel cause, and it's really excellent for providing some contextual knowledge about America in the 1980s, Baldwin's works and Baldwin himself. I love it for that and I'm glad I have this knowledge. However, because this book, for me, largely served as a device to provide context, I was left kinda unsatisfied. I was left feeling as though this book wasn't as meaty or as detailed as I wanted it to be. Part of my problem was probably that I was unable to identify what literary niche this book fit in, so I was left unsure of what to expect from it. Again though, I'm still happy I read it even though I remain a bit unsatisfied.
June 13, 2019
When most people think of James Baldwin they tend to think of the earlier work, written during the Civil Rights era. They tend to forget that Baldwin was alive and working during the Eighties. 'James Baldwin in the 80's', by Joseph Vogel, seeks to rectify this omission. This work looks at: the films which Baldwin wrote at this time; the books that make up his later oeuvre; and his attitudes towards the issues of the day, such as; AIDS, gay rights and race relations. It argues that Baldwin disregarded the dominant dichotomy between high and low culture, exploring the films which Baldwin made during the early Eighties. In addition, Vogel explores Baldwin's individuality, emphasizing his dual identity, being both; African American and gay. The author argues that these aspects of Baldwin's life, and work, make him a perfect inspiration for our post post modern, intersectional, age.
December 17, 2017
James Baldwin and the 1980s looks at this important author at a time when college intro classes do not necessarily focus on his work. The book explores Baldwin's life, themes, and some lesser-known works. Beyond this consideration, the book really looks at culture and politics throughout the decade in question, along with factors in the 1960s and 1970s that served as groundwork.
Fascinating, intelligent, and thought-provoking, this is a read that inspired me to begin looking into more information about Baldwin and about the decade in question.
Fascinating, intelligent, and thought-provoking, this is a read that inspired me to begin looking into more information about Baldwin and about the decade in question.
March 2, 2018
ARC was received courtesy of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
In my opinion, this in-depth study of James Baldwin and his less popular years provided an insightful look into the life and existential outlook of an American literary Icon.
I enjoyed reading it, and I've been inspired to revisit some of Mr. Baldwin's masterpieces.
Giving this one 5 stars.
In my opinion, this in-depth study of James Baldwin and his less popular years provided an insightful look into the life and existential outlook of an American literary Icon.
I enjoyed reading it, and I've been inspired to revisit some of Mr. Baldwin's masterpieces.
Giving this one 5 stars.
April 10, 2018
James Baldwin and the 1980s peers at few of Baldwin's articles and essays written around the eighties, examining its keys themes in the light of what is happening in the United States of America then and now.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Fans of James Baldwin's works should enjoy looking at this with fresh eyes.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The examination of the background of every essay is valuable in understanding Baldwin's thinking (in some cases) and the reason why he adopted a certain tone when addressing some section of United States's personalities.
MEMORABLE PASSAGE
"In sharp contrast to Fire, a national bestseller, however, Evidence—both upon publication and today—is likely his most overlooked book. To date, Evidence has been reprinted once, on its tenth anniversary in 1995, by Owl Books. At the time of its first publication, in spite of the nation’s abiding interest in the case, Baldwin found the book difficult to publish. His longtime publisher, Dial Press, passed it over. It was picked up in England and France before it finally found a home—and modest print run—in the United States via Holt, Rinehart and Winston. There are several possible reasons for this sudden indifference, perhaps most significant that the tone of Evidence was out of step with the 'colorblind,' optimistic ethos of the Reagan era. As David Leeming observes, “White people wanted to be told that the ‘new South,’ that the existence of black mayors and police chiefs in American cities, the presence of blacks as television anchors, and the emergence of black men and women as ‘successful’ authors, meant that the civil rights movement had worked and that America was on its way to ‘glory.’ Baldwin, always the Jeremiah, always the disturber of the peace, let it be known in Evidence that they were wrong.”
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James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel is available to buy from on all major online bookstores. Many thanks to University of Illinois Press for review copy.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Fans of James Baldwin's works should enjoy looking at this with fresh eyes.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The examination of the background of every essay is valuable in understanding Baldwin's thinking (in some cases) and the reason why he adopted a certain tone when addressing some section of United States's personalities.
MEMORABLE PASSAGE
"In sharp contrast to Fire, a national bestseller, however, Evidence—both upon publication and today—is likely his most overlooked book. To date, Evidence has been reprinted once, on its tenth anniversary in 1995, by Owl Books. At the time of its first publication, in spite of the nation’s abiding interest in the case, Baldwin found the book difficult to publish. His longtime publisher, Dial Press, passed it over. It was picked up in England and France before it finally found a home—and modest print run—in the United States via Holt, Rinehart and Winston. There are several possible reasons for this sudden indifference, perhaps most significant that the tone of Evidence was out of step with the 'colorblind,' optimistic ethos of the Reagan era. As David Leeming observes, “White people wanted to be told that the ‘new South,’ that the existence of black mayors and police chiefs in American cities, the presence of blacks as television anchors, and the emergence of black men and women as ‘successful’ authors, meant that the civil rights movement had worked and that America was on its way to ‘glory.’ Baldwin, always the Jeremiah, always the disturber of the peace, let it be known in Evidence that they were wrong.”
.......
James Baldwin and the 1980s: Witnessing the Reagan Era by Joseph Vogel is available to buy from on all major online bookstores. Many thanks to University of Illinois Press for review copy.
December 28, 2018
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