Gordon C. James

A brilliant Black boy in Harlem falls in love with words and becomes one of America’s most important literary voices.

Young James Baldwin had to clear many obstacles to become the famous writer whose words would help a nation look itself in the mirror. While his mother cleaned other people’s homes, James took care of his siblings and read voraciously. His stepfather, a preacher consumed with anger at the world, discouraged James’ love of books other than the Bible, but his mother show more nurtured his passion. As a teenager, James preached at his stepfather’s church and later worked several service jobs before escaping the confines of Harlem. In France, James made a new home in the mountains and shook loose the stories he held inside. This dynamic portrait of one of America’s most celebrated literary heroes ends with the publication of his book Go Tell It on the Mountain; backmatter touches on his novel Giovanni’s Room and his identity as a queer man. With his lyrical prose, Harris shows off a writer’s delight in words, trusting his young readers to make sense of even seemingly complex turns of phrase. Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator James’ painterly art is a brilliant ode to Baldwin, to Harlem, and to books, featuring expressive strokes, composition, and perspective to create unique sensations in each immersive scene.

A superb introduction to a master of the craft and a work of art in and of itself. (more about James Baldwin, author’s and illustrator’s notes, select sources) (Picture-book biography. 5-9)

-Kirkus Review show less

A brilliant Black boy in Harlem falls in love with words and becomes one of America’s most important literary voices.

Young James Baldwin had to clear many obstacles to become the famous writer whose words would help a nation look itself in the mirror. While his mother cleaned other people’s homes, James took care of his siblings and read voraciously. His stepfather, a preacher consumed with anger at the world, discouraged James’ love of books other than the Bible, but his mother show more nurtured his passion. As a teenager, James preached at his stepfather’s church and later worked several service jobs before escaping the confines of Harlem. In France, James made a new home in the mountains and shook loose the stories he held inside. This dynamic portrait of one of America’s most celebrated literary heroes ends with the publication of his book Go Tell It on the Mountain; backmatter touches on his novel Giovanni’s Room and his identity as a queer man. With his lyrical prose, Harris shows off a writer’s delight in words, trusting his young readers to make sense of even seemingly complex turns of phrase. Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator James’ painterly art is a brilliant ode to Baldwin, to Harlem, and to books, featuring expressive strokes, composition, and perspective to create unique sensations in each immersive scene.

A superb introduction to a master of the craft and a work of art in and of itself. (more about James Baldwin, author’s and illustrator’s notes, select sources) (Picture-book biography. 5-9)

-Kirkus Review show less

good story