Go Tell It To The Mountain (James Baldwin)
James Baldwin is an African-American writer from the 20th Century. I had already read his Giovanni's Room (1956) when I decided to read Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) and was surprised mostly by two differences between those novels.
The first surprise was that it is a much more difficult read than Giovanni's Room. Not only the writing is less friendly but the story is also much more complex, with the background stories of several characters intertwining through time and space. It really feels like there are two different authors at work.
I can imagine (and that's just me) several reasons for this. The first might be that Baldwin started writing Go Tell It on the Mountain as early as 1938 (when Baldwin was only fourteen years old). So even though the novels were published only a few year apart, they could be works of Baldwin in two very different maturity stages (personally and as a writer). Go Tell It on the Mountain is also very autobiographical, which is not the case of Giovanni's room, according to Baldwin.
The second surprise was that Go Tell It on the Mountain is also not as gay (or bisexual) themed as Giovanni's Room. John Grimes, the adolescent boy that is discovering his sexuality and is drowning in shame (and fear of hell) from it (character that is based on Baldwin) is in a way not really the main character of the book. His life story is not where the book gets most of its filling from. However, his personal journey during a limited period of time is the line that conducts the book from beginning to end.
The origins of the other characters from the book - John's family - constitute most of the content of the book, and even though most of it happens before John is even born, is an important part of his story as his own life. The boy's family is black and poor, and in those times (like today...) being black was not safe, and escaping poverty unlikely. And don't even get me started on how tough it is for the female characters...
I personally related to this novel because of the reaction that John has to the discovery of his sexuality while living in a religious background. Even though my family was not very religious and my father is far from being violent or a preacher, it was still hard for me (and took a long time) to (dis)connect the concept of God I was taught in a Catholic family to what I was going through over my teenage years.
Baldwin doesn't tell this part of the story in the book, but he eventually became a preacher himself for several years. It must have been an incredible personal trajectory for him to move from that to writing and publishing works that deal with homosexuality in such a candid and courageous way.
My final thoughts - if you are getting into Baldwin for the first time and are interested in LGBTQIA+ books specifically, I would recommend that you start with Giovanni's Room. It's an easier read and the main character's sexuality is more relevant throughout the novel.
But then eventually do dive into Go Tell It on the Mountain. In a way I like it more for the fact that, as in life, being gay can be challenging but is also "only" one of the many, infinite things that we are and face as individuals. From this perspective it is a richer book that aged better, that is more intersectional, complex and three-dimensional.
Enjoy the read!
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Sources of information (apart from the book itself):