Absolutely incredible, The power of Baldwin’s writing moved me to tears more than once and this is, I think, the most moving autobiography I’ve ever read. Over fifty years after it was written, it remains relevant and moving. And heartbreaking in many respects as it’s clear that some attitudes still linger in society today. For me, if there were a posthumous Nobel for literature, Baldwin would take it without a doubt. He’s less well recognised than he deserves; an unassuming man with an incredible talent whose work will, hopefully, live long. If you’re looking for one non fiction title to read this year, please let it be this one.

Deeply moving, thought provoking and a wonderful evocation of a pivotal time in American history. This is James Baldwin's partial memoir, his reflections and recollections of his life, growing up in Harlem, living in Paris, his friendships with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. It is an important addition to his work and sometimes easier to read than his novels. Such an important writer and his words here have much to teach us, wonderful.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

James Baldwin’s No Name in the Street was recently reprinted and is, sadly, just as relevant as when it was written in 1972. This autobiographical work covers his Harlem childhood with his many siblings, travels in Europe and challenges in Hollywood, to his years of activism. His personal stories reveal his frustration and grief over losing friends to prison sentences and assassinations and the painful cost of standing up to racial injustice.

“All the western nations are caught in a lie, the lie of their pretended humanism: this means that their history has no moral justification, and that the West has no moral authority.”

Baldwin writes here about his activism and the plight of black people, with particular focus on America, although he also touches very movingly on the oppression of Algeria by the French and its consequences for the Algerian community in Paris when he lived there. This is a personal take on the political but this is, Baldwin argues, as it should be. The idea of the political ideas about race somehow being separate from the way peoples' lives are lived and freedoms curtailed is a nonsense and only makes it easier for oppression to be carried out. This is beautifully written, angry work that, sadly, is as relevant now as it was when Baldwin first wrote it. It is brutal to see how little things have progressed for the better.

Thanks to Penguin Press UK and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this. A profound and thought provoking exploration of the 60s and early 70s America. Baldwin’s writing is beautiful and unlike no other. His life experiences are told with emotion as he portrays the difficulties black people face, which sadly still resonate today.

James Baldwin's 'No Name in the Street', first published in 1972, is a mixture of memoir, personal reflections and political analysis. While it often felt like a free-wheeling essay as I was reading, with hindsight the unifying strands were analysis of racism, in its many permutations, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Despite the heavy subject matter, there is joy to be found in this book in the poised elegance of the writing, and the way it gives the illusion that James Baldwin is reminiscing to, and confiding in, the reader. For example, he admits to stage fright on spotting Malcolm X in the audience at an event ("I stumbled through my lecture, with Malcolm never taking his eyes from my face.")

There were several stand-out quotations, for example this which reminded me of Oscar Wilde: "Incontestably, alas, most people are not, in action, worth very much; and yet, every human being is an unprecedented miracle. One tries to treat them as the miracles they are, while trying to protect oneself against the disasters they've become."

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy.

In this collection of essays, renowned American author, James Baldwin gives us a glimpse of the political and racial conflicts he tackled as a new adult.
He profoundly shares his views, beliefs and convictions as aligned with the American state at that time. Through anecdotes about some of his friendships with well-known political activists such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr, Baldwin brings fourth their teachings, echoes them and drives home the realisation that the good work is not yet done. \
He does not negate any progress made, but he does call on people of colour to be conscious. Conscious of themselves and their history, as well as the histories of the environments and places they inhabit. With this consciousness, he also calls for a more political awareness on our parts.
Some of the political ailments highlighted in No Name In The Street, published in 1972 still plague Black Americans till this day. Though we may not be able to overturn the system over night, I believe that Baldwin is calling on us to not give in entirely. To remember who we are, affirm who we can be and continue the good work while we become.

James Baldwin is, undoubtedly, one of the best writers of the 20th century. Everything Baldwin writes here (unfortunately) still holds so much water in regards to America's actions on an international stage and its state of affairs at home in regards to poverty, civil rights, and its treatment of Black, Brown and Indigenous people. No Name in the Street is also incredibly timely in regard to the US's support of Israel especially with Baldwin's criticism of this even in the 1960s and 70s.

But No Name in the Street is also a very warmly personal memoir-esque take on essay writing too. Baldwin's descriptions of Malcom X and Dr Martin Luther King Jr. are both enlightening (giving humanity to such vaunted figures of history) and moving, particularly as he recounts where he was when both were assassinated. If anything, Baldwin captures the perilous state in which many lived in the 1960s and 1970s, as his passages on Huey Newton and the Black Panthers demonstrate. This essay style memoir captures a searingly important time in both America's and, quite honestly, the world's history, if we are to look to America as leaders of the free world. 'Free' being highly circumspect, even now.

The only thing I struggled with when reading this was the structure - while chronological for the most part, it was very tangential and because it is just split into two parts, it was hard to follow. Devouring this book in one sitting would be perfect, but trying to read it over the course of several days/weeks was far more challenging due to the immersive nature of Baldwin's writing.

This book was quite unsettling to read seeing how after almost fifty years after its original release, the discussions of police brutality and general racism in America are still reflected in modern society. Definitely worth a read, especially if you are wanting to learn about racism from a perspective of a brilliant mind.

The most chilling thing about this book - apart from the theme, obviously - is that it was published in 1972 and yet it could have been published in 2024 and I would not necessarily notice.

So much that is still current: James Baldwin in Paris, describing how Algerian men are victims of police violence - "I had watched the police, one sunny afternoon, beat an old, one-armed Arab peanut vendor senseless in the streets, and I had watched the unconcerned faces of the French on the café terraces, and the congested faces of the Arabs". "And in fact, Algerians were being murdered in the streets, and corralled into prisons, and being dropped in the Seine, like flies".

On 27 June 2023, a young French-Algerian boy - Nahel - was shot dead (at point-blank range) by a policeman for a traffic violation, the police initially saying they had no choice as the young boy was using his vehicle as a weapon. A video proved this was not the case and that the police had lied about the circumstances of the killing. Two fundraisers were started on GoFundMe in the following days: one to support Nahel's family - raised about €200,000 - and one to support the policeman's family, which raised over €1.6 million.
This tells you all you need to know about how sadly accurate James Baldwin's observations still are in 2024.

Before the terms systemic racism and "white racism" became mainstream, James Baldwin writes that "The powerless, by definition, can never be 'racists', for they can never make the world pay for what they feel or fear, except by the suicidal endeavor which makes them fanatics or revolutionaries, or both; whereas, those in power can be urbane and charming and invite you to those homes which they know you will never own. The powerless must do their own dirty work. The powerful have it done for them".

On landlords, and capitalism: "There is no pressure on the landlord to be responsible for the upkeep of his property: the only pressure on him is to collect his rent; that is, to bleed the ghetto. (...) Buying cheap and selling dear is what made this country great".

And finally, on police brutality and police impunity, where too often the killers are not charged, or charged much later after public outcry, and on the police working together to cover their tracks (I could not help thinking of Breonna Taylor, murdered at 26 in her own home):

"The white cop in the ghetto is as ignorant as he is frightened, and his entire concept of police work is to cow the natives. He is not compelled to answer to these natives for anything he does; whatever he does, he knows that he will be protected by his brothers, who will allow nothing to stain the honour of the force. When his working day is over, he goes home and sleeps soundly in a bed miles away from the [N word], for that is the way he really thinks of black people. And he is assured of the rightness of his course and the justice of his bigotry every time Nixon, or Agnew, or Mitchell - or the Governor of the State of California - open their mouth".

I wish Jimmy Baldwin had told someone his secret of imbuing his shorter works and non-fiction with the same gravitas as his novels. For this, as with the short stories collected in Going to Meet the Man and the essays in Notes of a Native Son, is exactly what he has done here.

James Baldwin’s exceptional talent in writing both concisely and poetically is evident again in this memoir.
His childhood in Harlem, his memories of Hollywood, his travels are all in this book.
Beautifully told impressions and reflections which serve as a time capsule.

A fascinating memoir that gives insight and context to James Baldwin's childhood, his relationship with America and his role in the civil rights movements. His writing style is just timeless and so much of what he talks about is still relevant today. Also provides interesting details of key figures in the Civil Rights movement. The events are slightly disjointed, we start with Baldwin's childhood, whizz through his time in Paris and then focus heavily on his later years, but even so a compelling read.

I don't really know how I can do this book justice with a simple review. I only hope that someone reading this is compelled to read it themselves as a result. Baldwin is truly one of a kind, but the saddest thing about No Name in the Street is that it feels just as resonant now as it was 50 years ago.

A master storytelling, Baldwin takes the reader on an incredibly personal retelling of his life. The way he writes and is able to shape the narrative is awe inspiring, truly a one of a kind author. This novel was deeply emotional and rooted in his trauma and life experiences, and was a gift to read.

The experiences of the celebrated writer James Baldwin, which informed his childhood, his travels, his growing up in a segregated society, and the sheer difficulty of just being black.

Masterful