The Fire Next TimeThe Fire Next Time
Score Classic
What it's about
James Baldwin's short book is made of two essays. The first is a letter to his fifteen-year-old nephew, written on the hundredth anniversary of Emancipation, about what it means to grow up Black in a country that refuses to see him. The second recounts Baldwin's own adolescence in Harlem, when he became a teenage preacher to escape the street, then his break with the church and a tense dinner with Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. It ends with a warning to the whole country.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list in 1963 and is one of the most important books ever written about race in America. Its prose is so precise and urgent that it still reads as if it were written this year.
You'll love it if you liked
Notes of a Native Son
Between the World and Me
CitizenGood to know
Barely more than a hundred pages, it can be read in one sitting, and it rewards a second reading.
By the numbers
- Readers100 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller68 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
- #32 of the 198 history books we rank
- #59 of the 762 classics we rank
- #188 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by James Baldwin
Notes of a Native Son
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Giovanni's Room
Another CountryIf you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
Orientalism
The Path to Power
The Best and the Brightest
All the President's Men
The Origins of TotalitarianismExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Fire Next Time worth reading?
Yes. It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list in 1963 and is one of the most important books ever written about race in America. It ranks #188 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Fire Next Time about?
James Baldwin's short book is made of two essays. The first is a letter to his fifteen-year-old nephew, written on the hundredth anniversary of Emancipation, about what it means to grow up Black in a country that refuses to see him. The second recounts Baldwin's own adolescence in Harlem, when he became a teenage preacher to escape the street, then his break with the church and a tense dinner with Elijah Muhammad of the Nation of Islam. It ends with a warning to the whole country.
How long does it take to read The Fire Next Time?
About 3 hours (128 pages), or about 6 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Fire Next Time?
If you liked it, try Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates or Citizen by Claudia Rankine.