Another Country is a devastating read. There are a few (and I mean a few) moments of light and joy. It has one of the most beautiful and honest depictions of sex between two male characters. I go back and read that scene often, not because of its eroticism but because of its unflinching portrayal of the simultaneous closeness and distance sex can engender.
timing is a curious thing... finished this book just an hour ago and was looking thru analysis when I happened upon this video. I also loved your Baldwin/Billy Porter video. Another Country may be the finest book I've ever read. Thank you so much for your honest, insightful work. Mr. Baldwin would surely beam to know his life meant something to all of us.
Thank you for your videos about Baldwin, whom I read a lot of in the early 90s, but I was too young to fully appreciate and grasp his novels. Your videos inspire me to want to reread Baldwin, now as a much older man.
I found this episode to be delightful with some illuminating perspectives and facts. You remained perfectly posed, professional, and decorous. That said, I have most of Mr Baldwin's books. For me, he's an Olympian intellectual. His writings are disturbingly prophetic.
Smoke poured from his nostrils and a detail that he needed for his novel, which he had been searching for for months, fell, neatly and vividly, like the tumblers of a lock, into place in his mind. It seemed impossible that he should not have thought of it before: it illuminated, justified, clarified everything.
Thank you for this video and thank you for sharing your story too! I think that it's in these moments of grief that the universal thing that makes us human, that social bonding, is put to the test, and I really admire that despite everything, Baldwin could be surrounded by people who could understand him in these times, would that be his friends, lovers, family or audience. His writings were his instrument and I'm glad he continued to write to the end of his life.
Thank-you for addressing very important topics that have generational layers to bring up and out into the air to BREATHE and HEAL. Queer people of color who are not white or hetero passing have much more challenging experiences to cope with and hopefully, live through. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, and I'm glad you're giving yourself the space to grieve, in the way you personally need. I greatly agree that we all need much more gentleness, support, nurturing, protection, guidance, celebration, and different forms of healthy intimacy throughout our lives, especially in a very violently aggressive white supremist/capitalist/hetero normative/colonizer kool-aid enforced system. Mental health is so vital to discuss because it has a very important part of the innate expression of being a healthy and expressive human animal. I'm so glad you're taking the time and interest in using Baldwin's legacy as a sacred gift to help in your exploration to simply exist, survive, heal, and flourish, when too many loved ones/people are lost by a very parasitic and lethal fascist system. Great idea for choosing to film the video out in nature, the content of the video needed that balance. Well done! PS I will recommend a book I've shared about before because it's so good for many reasons, especially for healing and very informative about mental health for QPOC. "Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice" by Jennifer Mullan.
i loved listening to this! especially the part about how the world tends to add on to already existing wounds and how that can leave you feeling hopeless. not to make this about me or anything like that but sometimes i wonder if some people are almost born to suffer and will forever be trapped in that labyrinth and that's just the universes fucked up balancing system. but that's to simple of a answer so i don't believe that to be true and i'm trying to work through that way of thinking. it's really hard to be struggling and not know how to move forward and or have an opportunity to. there's lots of things i don't understand but there was one line in if beale street could talk about knowing what you don't know and not looking into to it much for your own sake that i think about very often. i don't really know how to end this comment so i'm just going to wish a very happy 100th birthday to james wherever his soul may be now, and continue to be forever grateful for everything that makes me smile and keep going, his life and work definitely being one of those things.
Thank you for watching. If anyone wants to support the channel, there’s an affiliate Bookshop link to ANOTHER COUNTRY in the description. ❤
Great discussion. Another country is probably my favorite book by Baldwin, and this adds a new depth to it. I definitely need to reread it.
Great video on a tender topic.
Another Country is a devastating read. There are a few (and I mean a few) moments of light and joy. It has one of the most beautiful and honest depictions of sex between two male characters. I go back and read that scene often, not because of its eroticism but because of its unflinching portrayal of the simultaneous closeness and distance sex can engender.
❤❤❤❤
I knew you would release today happy birthday to the man James baldwin
I have a hard time with anxiety and depression and learning more about Baldwin's struggles with depression and more really helped me out. Thank you!
Off topic, but I’m reading Giovanni’s Room for the month of August and wished it was adapted into a film 🥲.
Ugh me too. From Reading Baldwin's biographies, he did have intentions to turn into a movie. Which I want to research more about if he wrote anything
timing is a curious thing... finished this book just an hour ago and was looking thru analysis when I happened upon this video. I also loved your Baldwin/Billy Porter video. Another Country may be the finest book I've ever read. Thank you so much for your honest, insightful work. Mr. Baldwin would surely beam to know his life meant something to all of us.
This was a really great video
Thank youuuu
steady rocking into the rest of the summer
Thank you for your videos about Baldwin, whom I read a lot of in the early 90s, but I was too young to fully appreciate and grasp his novels. Your videos inspire me to want to reread Baldwin, now as a much older man.
I just love your videos ❤️
I found this episode to be delightful with some illuminating perspectives and facts. You remained perfectly posed, professional, and decorous. That said, I have most of Mr Baldwin's books. For me, he's an Olympian intellectual. His writings are disturbingly prophetic.
Smoke poured from his nostrils and a detail that he needed for his novel, which he had been searching for for months, fell, neatly and vividly, like the tumblers of a lock, into place in his mind. It seemed impossible that he should not have thought of it before: it illuminated, justified, clarified everything.
Thank you for this video and thank you for sharing your story too! I think that it's in these moments of grief that the universal thing that makes us human, that social bonding, is put to the test, and I really admire that despite everything, Baldwin could be surrounded by people who could understand him in these times, would that be his friends, lovers, family or audience. His writings were his instrument and I'm glad he continued to write to the end of his life.
Happy birthday Jimmy! 🎉🎉
Thank-you for addressing very important topics that have generational layers to bring up and out into the air to BREATHE and HEAL. Queer people of color who are not white or hetero passing have much more challenging experiences to cope with and hopefully, live through. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, and I'm glad you're giving yourself the space to grieve, in the way you personally need. I greatly agree that we all need much more gentleness, support, nurturing, protection, guidance, celebration, and different forms of healthy intimacy throughout our lives, especially in a very violently aggressive white supremist/capitalist/hetero normative/colonizer kool-aid enforced system. Mental health is so vital to discuss because it has a very important part of the innate expression of being a healthy and expressive human animal. I'm so glad you're taking the time and interest in using Baldwin's legacy as a sacred gift to help in your exploration to simply exist, survive, heal, and flourish, when too many loved ones/people are lost by a very parasitic and lethal fascist system. Great idea for choosing to film the video out in nature, the content of the video needed that balance. Well done! PS I will recommend a book I've shared about before because it's so good for many reasons, especially for healing and very informative about mental health for QPOC. "Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice"
by Jennifer Mullan.
Well thank you for this comment and I will definitely check out that book
i loved listening to this! especially the part about how the world tends to add on to already existing wounds and how that can leave you feeling hopeless. not to make this about me or anything like that but sometimes i wonder if some people are almost born to suffer and will forever be trapped in that labyrinth and that's just the universes fucked up balancing system. but that's to simple of a answer so i don't believe that to be true and i'm trying to work through that way of thinking. it's really hard to be struggling and not know how to move forward and or have an opportunity to. there's lots of things i don't understand but there was one line in if beale street could talk about knowing what you don't know and not looking into to it much for your own sake that i think about very often. i don't really know how to end this comment so i'm just going to wish a very happy 100th birthday to james wherever his soul may be now, and continue to be forever grateful for everything that makes me smile and keep going, his life and work definitely being one of those things.
I recall reading another country in college but I think it's time I read it again as someone who's really resonated with Black trauma (and I'm older)