The Fire is Still Upon Us

James Baldwin & William F. Buckley

Often when I read books, view interviews and listen to debates a second time, I learn something new. That’s what happened when I recently re-read “The Fire is Upon Us:  James Baldwin, William F. Buckley, Jr. and the Debate over Race in  America” written by Nicholas Buccola.

In “The Fire is Upon Us” the author contrasts William F. Buckley Jr. and James Baldwin’s views on race.  Could two people be more different? 

To get a better understanding about why the debate was such a landmark event in America's conversations on race, listen to a podcast with the author. See below for additional podcast links.

​The celebrated debate between Margaret Mead and James Baldwin is another recent re-visit.  One could hardly debate a more opinionated person as Mead.  As I listened to “A Rap on Race,” I couldn’t help but admire James Baldwin’s grace and poise.

I recently caught Scott Simon's NPR interview with Azar Nafisi, author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” another must read.  When Simon asked her about James Baldwin, whom she references in her latest book, “Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times,” she was enthusiastic and animated. “Oh, I LOVE James Baldwin” she said. I sat here and thought, “Oh, so do I!”

No matter where we stand on issues of race relations and critical culture, we’ve had this discussion for a very long time. Revisiting the past often gives us new revelations, and stepping stones to build on. Because, we know, we’ll be in this discussion for a long time to come. 

Listen to The Fire is Upon Us podcasts with author Nick Buccola on the following services:
Google
SoundCloud
Audible