Maxwell's Reviews > The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race

As an homage to James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time, acclaimed author Jesmyn Ward collected writings from nearly two dozen preeminent thinkers, writers, and artists to reexamine race in America over 50 years after the publication of Baldwin's seminal text.

This book was published in 2016, not long after the killing of Michael Brown and the Charleston church shooting. Unfortunately, since then there have been many other racially motivated acts of violence in the U.S. that have kept much, if not all, of what is written in this book relevant.

At the time of this book's release, I was interested in reading this but never ended up getting around to it. And at the time, I'd never read any Baldwin. Though I don't think it's a pre-requisite by any means to have read Baldwin or The Fire Next Time before picking this one up, I do think it's helpful to understand the context to which this book owes itself. Ward and her collaborators have expanded on ideas Baldwin explores in his writing, bringing in a wide array of voices and lived experiences to create a beautiful, if not challenging (especially as a white person) and compelling collection.

I was happy to see some familiar-to-me authors in here (Ward herself, Isabel Wilkerson, Clint Smith, Kevin Young, Kiese Laymon, Natasha Tretheway, Edwidge Danticat) as well as some new voices I definitely want to read more from (Honoree Fanonne Jeffers in particular).

I loved how varied the topics of this collection were: from discussions of stop and frisk, to walking and exploring a city, historical reexaminations of Phillis Wheatley to poems leading off each section of the book. There are 3 parts looking at the past, present and future of America through the lens of race. There are male and female voices, Black and latinx authors, young and old perspectives.

I would encourage anyone interested in continuing to expand their worldview, to keep seeking voices and stories that do not necessarily reflect your own, or to read and be seen by people who share your lived experiences, to pick this one up.