Another CountryAnother Country
Score Classic
What it's about
Published in 1962 and set in Greenwich Village, Harlem and France, James Baldwin's novel begins with the suicide of jazz musician Rufus Scott and follows his friends as they try to understand his life and death, and discover uncomfortable truths about love, race and themselves.
Why it's worth reading
It's on PBS's Great American Read. It's an emotionally intense, groundbreaking novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Giovanni's Room
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Invisible ManGood to know
It's frank about sex, race and sexuality.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller39 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by James Baldwin
Notes of a Native Son
The Fire Next TimeGo Tell It on the MountainGiovanni's RoomIf you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn Birds
The Age of Innocence
The Great Gatsby
Middlemarch
LolitaExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Another Country worth reading?
Yes. It's on PBS's Great American Read. It ranks #1,579 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Another Country about?
Published in 1962 and set in Greenwich Village, Harlem and France, James Baldwin's novel begins with the suicide of jazz musician Rufus Scott and follows his friends as they try to understand his life and death, and discover uncomfortable truths about love, race and themselves.
How long does it take to read Another Country?
About 14 hours (580 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Another Country?
If you liked it, try Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin or Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.