It was a slog at times for me because, like some others here experienced, I had not seen all the movies Baldwin dissected. However, I kept at it and appreciated his visceral, blunt assessments as a Black man in America viewing the cultural representation of his race on screen.
It actually struck me as a rather off-the-cuff and somewhat sloppy. But, because itâs Baldwin it is still brilliant.
This book touched me in so many ways but most of all, how âthinking you know how an individual perceives somethingâ then realizing youâre quite naive to even have assumed such. I felt like I stepped out of my shoes and into Baldwinâs at different time points in his life. Not every author has such an ability to completely accomplish this or to do it so well. Sometimes I felt like I was having a conversation with a friend, other times I was a self-absorbed, naive white woman (who had much to learn!) listening intently to a brilliant Black scholar. Iâm grateful to have had an opportunity to read this book because itâs not one I wouldâve normally picked up. I look forward to exploring more of his work.
This was a very different read. I enjoyed the relationship between Baldwin and his teacher. I was not familiar with all of the films discussed. I thought it was very interesting that his knowledge of white people came from films.
I found the book interesting even tho I had only seen one of the movies mentioned. It is always eye opening to read the experiences a black person endured growing up in America. It was not an easy read with the style he choose, but certainly glad I read it.
I would love to see what Baldwin would think of this book!
Well, Siskell and Ebert it wasnât! In my ignorance and naivete I wasnât expecting such force and depth of his opinions. But then again, having grown up when he did, being black and being gay, and combined with his exceptional writing skills, I shouldnât have expected anything else.
At times I felt like it was an indictment of my southerness and conservatism.
I had read one other of his books and had seen probably 2/3 of the movies he discussed.
Yes! I read many of his books in college and they changed my life. For the moments you are reading him, it does feel like youâre 100% in his head. It did permanently affect me, too. Once you read Baldwin he follows you around your life like a conscience. He will never go away.
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I was surprised that a book written so many years ago and about movies could be so current. The point of this book,to me, was to tell the movie makers to take a hard look at the messages in films that influence how we look at race and perpetuates racism. It was a message to clean up the way Blacks are portrayed and recognize how these portrayals just reinforce stereotypes and biases.This little book had a lot to say!
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I have enjoyed Baldwinâs works very much. His characters are well-developed. I watched several of the movies he summarized. My favorite work is his short story âSonnyâs Blues.â The narrator is a teacher in Harlem and has escaped the ghetto. His younger brother did not and is a heroin user. When the narrator goes to a nightclub to see his brother, a jazz pianist, play the blues, he realizes that Sonny is trying his pain through playing music. It is poignant.
I would love to see what Baldwin thinks of Sky Full of Elephants!
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I enjoyed reading Baldwinâs insights and perspective not just on racism but on so many other societal aspects of the films and books in this collection of essays. And I loved his friendship with his teacher, âBillâ. James Baldwin was so intelligent, so well read, and so hungry for knowledgeâŚthat many of his references to movies and book Iâve not seen or read sadly were beyond my understanding. In spite of that, I found his prose to be impactful and often beautiful. My favorite quote, from page 80, âIdentity would seem to be the garment with which one covers the nakedness of the self; in which case it is best that the garment be looseâŚâ
Yes! Thatâs a good one Becky!