The Harlem Ghetto: Essays

This collectible edition celebrates James Baldwin's hundredth-year anniversary, uncovering the condition of being Black in America.

Originally published in Notes of a Native Son, the essays "The Harlem Ghetto," "Journey to Atlanta," and "Notes of a Native Son" will appeal to those interested in the personal and political turmoil of Baldwin's life in the 1950s.

"The Harlem Ghetto" introduces readers to the extremities of life in Baldwin's native city. "Journey to Atlanta" depicts the faulty relationship between the Negro and the politician, following a quartet called The Melodeers on a trip to Atlanta under the auspices of the Progressive Party. Baldwin concludes this collection with "Notes of A Native Son," a powerful autobiographical essay about his fractured relationship with his father.

The Harlem Ghetto: Essays explores the American condition through a mix of analytic and autobiographical essays. This second collection in the Baldwin centennial anniversary series is Baldwin's most personal as he grapples with his childhood and his own affinity with blackness.