Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin

by Herb Boyd

An intimate portrait of the iconic late author of such classics as Go Tell It on the Mountain and Giovanni's Room offers insight into Baldwin's connection to the city of Harlem, from his relationship with poet laureate Countee Cullen and student writings at Frederick Douglass Junior High to his diverse views on Harlem's community life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, African American, History, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 8, 2008

About the author

Herb Boyd is an awarding-winning American author and journalist who has published 17 books and countless articles for national magazines and newspapers. Brotherman:The Odyssey of Black Men in America: An Anthology (One World/Ballantine, 1995), co-edited with Robert Allen of the Black Scholar journal, won the American Book Award for nonfiction. In 1999, Boyd won three first place awards from the New York Association of Black Journalists for his articles published in the Amsterdam News.

In 2006, Boyd worked with world music composer Yusef Lateef on his autobiography The Gentle Giant, which was published by Morton Books of New Jersey. In 2008, he published Baldwin's Harlem: A Biography of James Baldwin, and is working with filmmaker Keith Beauchamp on several projects. Boyd has been inducted into both the Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent and the Madison Square Garden Hall of Fame as a journalist.

Along with his writing, Boyd is also the Managing Editor of The Black World Today, one of the leading online publications on the Internet. Boyd, a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, teaches African and African-American History at the College of New Rochelle in the Bronx, and is an adjunct instructor at City College in the Black Studies Department.

Reviews

[Banole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Herb Boyd gives us a gossipy biography of Baldwin that somehow works.
Boyd is sure to deeply confuse, offend and anger those who take into
consideration "the white gaze" -as Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison so delicately puts it.
Boyd seems to unconsciously ignore the"white gaze".

Boyd admits that he really didn't know Baldwin personally. Yet Boyd skillfully uses Baldwins writings and interviews with Baldwins friends and acquaintances to weave his narrative. A large amount of personal opinion and observation is thrown in.
I think Boyd illuminates much of the criticism of Baldwin and his work by Stanley Crouch, Cleaver, Ismael Reed, Harold Cruse, Albert Murray and so many, many more.
Underneath all the sometime skillfully written and spoken rhetoric, underneath and around all of that criticism of Baldwin and his work are strong elements of jealousy and envy of his international fame and literary success. A mere high school graduate from the Harlem "ghetto"!
Baldwin rose to the top of America's intellectual pyramid not by getting a PhD or a Masters or a BA. Not by knowing the "right" people.
He rose by hard work, deep study and the favor of the Gods and Goddesses.

Baldwin was not allowed to speak at the March on Washington because it was well known that Baldwin would tell it the way he saw it.
There was no way that Baldwin could be handed a script and be expected to read it verbatim!
Baldwin's habit of speaking the truth and being a witness certainly got him into trouble with some sections of the Jewish community. I read somewhere, I can't remember when or where, but I think it was in some interview that Baldwin gave this response to a question: "Nothing you can say can justify the founding of the state of Israel.......". So I am not surprised by cries of "anti-antisemitism". Although there is certainly no justification for this. Boyd handles this situation well.
As the sixties fade deeper and deeper into history, we must remember the "boldness and audaciousness " of that beautiful time when James Baldwin carried our voices of protest to the world. American terrorism, often fully supported by local, state and federal agencies against black people in the south and in other places could not over come the raw courage of James Baldwin. All of the murders, bombing, burning, death threats and mob violence directed at small school children could not silence Baldwin. In the words of Paul Laurence Dunbar :
" He dared the lightning in the lightning's track.
And answered thunder with his thunder back."
Like Herb Boyd, most of us of African ancestry living in this country did not know James Baldwin personally either-but most of us knew some one who made us think of James Baldwin or some one who reminded us of him.
We know or knew somebody kind of like Baldwin-because he was-as he said- "the poet that we produced". Have you seen any of the videos of his funeral? His funeral in Harlem told us again who he was and where he came from.
THUMBS UP!! Herb Boyd!

[Rodrigue Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Baldwin enthusiast, it is humbling to have my bubble burst about the man and realize who he was, especially when coming from a narrative which is not his own. I like reading this biography and the insights, it gives on Baldwin's reluctance on joining the civil rights movements in its early days,on his family life and of course of the many rivalries he had with other famous writers of his time. Al through a great book to enjoy, but if you are a Baldwin's fan you might come off a bit unease at how mortal the man was indeed.

[Brandon Floyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Herb Boyd approaches "Baldwin's Harlem" with far too much interest in himself and not enough commitment to his craft. In fact, there's hardly any sense of Baldwin here at all. Even as Boyd explicitly traces the author's trajectory through Harlem, from youth to prominence, the biographical narrative reads more like a congested chronology than an exploration of environment and being.Instead we hear Boyd's voice delivering Baldwin's legacy in a manner so riddled with conjecture and assumption that it feels more like a research proposal than biography proper. Pick up this book if you're looking for a reference point, not a completed work.

[Iliyana Petrova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Learned a bunch of stuff but the majority of this book is dry af. Can’t really explain what exactly is wrong with its style but it’s a pity that the story of an author like Baldwin, with his circle, his Paris and his Harlem, often end up feeling like a textbook.

Still a good read tho, just far from its full potential.

[John Vanderslice · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone with an abiding interest in the work and influence of James Baldwin, this is a great find. Despite its subtitle, it can't really be considered a biography as we normally think of biographies. It's less a story of Baldwin's life--although Boyd does touch on all the different periods of that life--than it is a series of essays that look up close at Baldwin's relationships with different individuals and different places. Baldwin and Malcolm X, for instance; Baldwin and Amiri Baraka; most of all, Baldwin and Harlem itself. If you go into the book with that expectation in mind, you will find it an interesting and eye-opening read. (I for one did not realize the extent of the criticism labeled at Baldwin during his lifetime by other leading African American scholars and figures. Boyd pretty ably defends Baldwin, as I think he should.) But don't go into it expecting it to be the authoritative work on the life of James Baldwin. It isn't and doesn't try to be. Fortunately, the reader can turn elsewhere for such books.

[GLF (Seeing better than ever!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Realistically 3.5 stars is more accurate.

This book really isn't a 'biography' as such, but more an investigation in into the effect growing up in "Harlem" had on James Baldwin as a writer and on the fiction and non-fiction he wrote over the years .

There is a chronology of major events in Baldwin's life at the end of the book, which contrasts with the main text which seems to leap frog around various parts of Baldwin's life. The two "interviews" also provide an insight into Baldwin the man that is lacking in the main text.

The author's main issue seems to be that there have already been a number of biographies of James Baldwin that have adequately told the story of his life. This book is more about Baldwin growing up in Harlem and the effect that his 'environment' affected him.

[Demetria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first (and so far only) James Baldwin bio I've ever read. I do know that a handful of very good Baldwin bios exist, so I thought this was a pretty worthwhile and unique perspective to choose. Perhaps because other bios exist, this one is fairly dense, but pretty light on pages. I learned a lot of interesting things about Baldwin and reading it has made me more interested in reading some of the meatier bios.

[Liz Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first James Baldwin bio I've read and I did learn a bit more about him that I haven't read in his non-fiction. I found myself skimming a bit near the end though. Baldwin is such a masterful writer that it must be difficult for another writer to do him justice. I'm not sure if I'll rush to another Baldwin bio anytime soon, my preference is to reach for a Baldwin original and thankfully there's quite a bit of his work I'm still to read.

[J'Aime 'James' · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with Brandon's review of the book. As a Harlemite, I was hoping to have more insight into a legendary Harlem writer and the neighborhood in which he was raised. Instead I found this book to be more centered on Boyd than Baldwin and in a language that read like a senior thesis. I also feel it might have been better if the writer had written the book as a chronological biography as opposed to a topical biography.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book that revolves around Baldwin's personal and artistic connection to Harlem.

The author is clearly partisan and defends Baldwin tooth and nail from the literary and political attacks that he was on the receiving end of throughout his life.

However, the book is a worth while read because of Baldwin, a great writer, a fascinating figure, and an immense literary life.

[Oksana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly, if you are looking for a biography this is not it. It's drivel, not so veiled homophobia, and more than half is just quotations. And worse, most of it is conjecture and opinion, not even well thought out or well written opinion. This author loves to hear himself speak and considering he inserted pages and pages his own interviews in there, you can tell just how much he loves himself.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look into the events and people who influenced the making of the mind and soul of the man who gave the world so many beautiful works. It is not just a glowing one sided view of Baldwin but tackles his brushes with antisemitism and antichristian beliefs as he struggled to deal with the oppression of his people.

[KL Dilley]

I reeeeealllly couldn't get through this book. I should have been able to because it's about James Baldwin in Harlem. How could that not be captivating? Well it wasn't. Right in the intro Boyd comes across a bit Rick Warrenish and from there it went down an unfortunate road. Too bad.

[Jewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative book about Baldwin's relationship with Harlem and the influence it had on his writings. The book also introduced me to other African American intellectuals who were contemporaries of Baldwin. Their opinions of him and his works were substantial..

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

well-researched but a little flat. it's hard to read a book about the best American writer by a writer who is just ok... read it if you're a hardcore james baldwin fan.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this moment in my life Balwdin is my inspiration.

Interesting read. I learned a lot about the complicated, beautiful and torn being that was Baldwin.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a very good read, I did want to get more of a sense of intimacy from the author about Baldwin, but still enjoyed it.

[Steven Spector · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in conjunction with better subject bios. This is more issue-based than one might like and comes in at about 200pp in big print and small sized-pages.

[Mario King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was intriguing. Mr. Boyd did a good job of painting a portrait of Baldwin's Harlem. It was a good backdrop into the life and thoughts of Mr. James Baldwin. Good read!!!

[A_nyrican · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most intimate autobiography on James Baldwin and the fascinating ever-changing period of Harlem Renaissance I have read so far. I will add more to this review at a later time.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A scattered book of anecdotes and historical references. Helpful if you already know a lot about Baldwin, but not particularly enlightening.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't really the book I wanted to read. more of a portrait of Baldwin and his critics than a linear biography of Baldwin and his early life in Harlem.

[Collin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weirdly disjointed and jumpy biography but I’m sure having a broad outline of Baldwin’s life and thought will come in handy as I dig more into his ouevre in the near future.