Review: Notes of a Native Son

Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin is an interesting look into what it was like living in Harlem in the fifties, traveling through Europe and experiencing a variety of different media, all from his unique perspective. Throughout this book of essays, Baldwin not only explores his race and the consequences faced at the time, but he also goes to explore his role as a man, a son and his role in the world as an American.

The essays that I found most entertaining and enlightening were those where Baldwin described his personal experiences, such as his imprisonment in Paris in "Equal in Paris" vacationing in a small village in "Stranger in the Village" and exploring his relationship with his father in "Notes of a Native Son." Overall, though these essays where written well over fifty years ago, there are many points that Baldwin makes that still resonate to most readers.

*Reviewer received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads



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