In Due Season Read

A Black history reading list would not be complete without James Baldwin. Baldwin was not only a writer; he was an activist. In my view, this former preacher never truly left the pulpit, and it's all amen and hallelujah reading him today.

In the midst of what is the ongoing struggle for human rights and justice in US cities and here at home in Canada, Baldwin's words in No Name In The Street are timeless: "Black men have been burned alive in this country more than once - many men now living have seen it with their own eyes; black men and boys are being murdered here today, in cold blood, and with impunity; and it is a very serious matter when the government which is sworn to protect the interest of all American citizens publicly and unabashedly allies itself with the enemies of black men" (First Vintage International Edition 2007, p. 130).

Our list features several of Baldwin's titles. Though written for a largely adult audience, I would encourage parents with teenagers to introduce them to this literary icon and poetic genius. Baldwin reads like the most beautiful prose and his words are simply prophetic. Happy Reading!