The Great American Read discussion

This is the Pre-read & No Spoilers thread for Another Country by James Baldwin.

This is the place to discuss your plans to read the book, first impressions about the first few chapters, or other general comments. Do not discuss the ending, or any other spoilers about the book.

The spoiler thread can be found here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

This book has been nominated many times and it finally made it. Who is planning to join this read?

I am going to start this over the weekend. If it's like most James Baldwin, I will run through it faster than I should. I have a problem with his books -- I start them and I have never been able to put them down. The man has cost me more sleep than most writers.

But I'm looking very much forward to this one. I have a paperback and an audio version is available from my library, so I may try both.

That's a great endorsement! I'll probably start it Thursday night after my bookclub meeting.

Just started, really. Have never read James Baldwin and he definitely has his style. This is not light reading. I have already started, read another book, continued, and may start another book. I haven't read enough to make an opinion on the story but I don't think it is "light" reading.

Baldwin is NEVER light reading.

Found while reading an article Ocean Vuong wrote:
https://lithub.com/ocean-vuong-the-10...

James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain

The novel that Baldwin claims he “had to write if [he were] ever to write anything else” is a masterclass on how potent and vital an autobiographical text can be for a writer of color. In a literary culture that often casts the debut as arriving out of serendipitous phenomenon, the autobiographical novel, as evidenced by Baldwin, serves as a map of one’s journey towards art. It says, essentially, that a writer of color does not arrive at the literary table, as is often believed, in spite their geographical and cultural roots, but because of them, that those origins, complex and rich with joy and challenges, were foundations within their praxis—not shackles that denied them an imagination.

The Germans would call such a book a künstlerroman—an artist novel. In Baldwin’s hands, Go Tell It becomes more than that, it becomes a map of passage wherein a gay black writer garners self-knowledge through the careful, thorough, and luminous rendering of his elders, which includes their flaws, triumphs, and the near-obliterating effect of American racism on their minds and bodies.

He's pretty brilliant & the list is very interesting, but I thought of our group when I read this, so there ya go.

Thanks for the article Ella. I love that line Vuong is really an incredible writer. I liked his argument that complex and rich roots and challenges ...were not shackles that denied them an imagination. I think that explains why cross-cultural books are so interesting. I also loved what he had to say about metaphor (below), and about using the character's memories to tell the story.

"Vietnamese refugees, for example, use metaphor as a coping mechanism; metaphor provides a way to talk about trauma without stating the experience outright. An abortion is described as having “papaya seeds scraped out of you,” or sexual assault as having “the doorway of your body broken into.” To die is to”“get on the road.” Likewise, when Abel Meeropol wrote the poem “Strange Fruit” about the lynching of African Americans in the South, he was not reaching for the Romantic sublime—but to render the horrific via an alternative speech act. The metaphor in the mouths of survivors became a way to innovate around pain."

The article makes we want to read Dept. of Speculation, and revisit Beloved. I read Beloved decades ago, but when I read "about" the book now, I have to wonder. Maybe I blocked it out or didn't finish it because it was so sad? My kids were still babies, so it might have been too hard to read.

I've often wanted to take a class or do a deep read of Beloved with other people, because I'm sure that as much as I adore the book, I'm missing loads of things. I recently read an introduction to Home by Toni Morrison, and she dissects the opening sentence of the book - holy cow, it's just amazing all the thought and allusion etc she sticks into one sentence, and now when I read, I sometimes take one sentence and see what I can find "hidden" within it.

I'm not married, have never been divorced, and I don't have kids, but I read Dept. of Speculation earlier this year and thought it was pretty freaking brilliant. There were parts - even individual sentences - that made me light up with joy that someone could do this. It blew me away at times. It was the overall experience that I wasn't sure would stick with me, but all these months later, I can still remember certain quotes, etc. And this reminds me that I want to send you something... I'll email or message.

Ella wrote: "I've often wanted to take a class or do a deep read of Beloved with other people, because I'm sure that as much as I adore the book, I'm missing loads of things. I recently read an introduction to ..."

I love books like that, especially when I'm using a kindle. It's easy to highlight great sentences.

Hello, this will be my first book to read with this group. I just borrowed the ebook and audiobook both from my library on Libby. I am currently committed to Gulliver's Travels and 26% in. Next, is Frankenstein for my class at school. Still, I think I can read Another Country as well in the next two weeks. I know absolutely nothing about the book and have never read the author, so fingers crossed.

So far I'm enjoying it. I wish I had the audio too. I hope you get to it. Someone is always behind the schedule, so you can jump in any time.

Good for you with Gulliver. I loved the movie as a kid, but I haven't even looked at the book yet.

We read Frankenstein here last October. It was much more literary than I expected it to be. I just got my copy of the new book Frankissstein: A Love Story. It's a modern retelling with ideas from both Frankentein and Mary Shelley's life. I read Shelley's bio last year also, and I already like the character names that this author chose. One is based on Mary's friend Lord Byron (the poet).

I generally don't read "deep thinking" books because I don't want to tax my brain so much. :) This year i have read some books that are impactful (Night, The Sun also Rises), and if I do not find the meaning even though I know there is something "there", I am so happy with the group here helping me understand and the members perspective. I really like this group. I took a break from Another Country but should get back to it this week. Thanks all for a fab group.

Gretchen wrote: "I generally don't read "deep thinking" books because I don't want to tax my brain so much. :) This year i have read some books that are impactful (Night, The Sun also Rises), and if I do not find t..."

Thanks, I love that too. I love when my book friends can show me another way of looking at a book. When I was working I only wanted to read fun books. Now that I'm semi-retired (and fighting against memory loss), I need books that make me think more, and people to discuss them with. The books on our list are usually good for generating discussion.

I tend to be wary of satire and social commentary books. They are really fun if I get the references, but otherwise they just make me feel stupid. That's when it really helps to have smart book friends!

I am really loving Another County. I had to take a break after a sad part (by watching Poldark and The Voice), but I'm getting back to it tonight.

Another Country really is amazing. I read it and I'm a bit speechless about it. I know it will take another read or three to get all the bits and pieces sorted for me, and this is one of the reasons I wish I'd taken more classes in school about breaking down complex books and working them out. Even if I never get all of it, I am so glad that I read this book. Thanks, group!