Begin Again

Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own is a 2020 book by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Covering the life and works of American writer and activist James Baldwin, and the theme of racial inequality in the United States, Glaude uses these topics to discuss what he views as historical failed opportunities for America to "begin again". He analyzes Baldwin's activism and sexuality and his non-fiction writings, perceiving a shift in his later works. Glaude uses ideas from Baldwin to comment on contemporary racial topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which began in 2013. The book entered The New York Times Best Seller list on July 19, 2020, and has received positive critical reception. Background Author Eddie S. Glaude Jr. is the chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. The book follows his 2016 work Democracy in Black, about racism in contemporary America, in which Glaude argued that black people had largely suffered under the Obama administration. Begin Again is largely about the American writer and activist James Baldwin, who Glaude first read in graduate school. Glaude initially found his writings uncomfortable, particularly due to the reactions of his white classmates. He later returned to the works and studied them further. He eventually began teaching Baldwin at Princeton. After the book was written, the May 2020 murder of George Floyd led to a global protest movement on the subject of institutional racism and police violence. The book was published on June 30, 2020, by Crown Publishing Group. Princeton's Undergraduate Student Government distributed free digital copies to students who requested it as part of their Anti-Racism Book Initiative, along with Princeton academic Imani Perry's book Breathe: A Letter to My Sons.