Review: Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin

As a white person born in Australia in the 1980s and having lived here all my life, my experience is about as far removed from that of James Baldwin as it could possibly be. And yet, he manages, over the course of these ten essays, to connect with me over distance and time, history and culture, to plant a seed of understanding that I hope to continue to cultivate over the course of my lifetime.

I’ve read only one of Baldwin’s novels thus far, the much beloved and heartbreaking Giovanni’s Room, and my primary interest in reading this collection of essays at this point in time was to provide some context and background to Baldwin’s oeuvre before I delve into it further.

Thematically, Notes of a Native Son explores aspects of the African American experience in the mid-20th century with particular focus on systemic racism and prejudice, identity and perception, alienation and belonging, intertwined with the complexities of family and relationships. But stating it this way does this collection of essays a great disservice. Each essay is carried by Baldwin’s honesty, authenticity, introspection, and mastery of language. His words can caress gently or slice deeply. He picks up each thread—each aspect of his personal experiences as well as greater shared experiences—and inspects it carefully, tugs on it gently (and sometimes more urgently) to see where it comes from and what it’s connected to. But he always does this with precision and restraint, the hallmarks of someone who has had to be—and chosen to be, as well, I think—reflective to the extreme. These are the essays of a man who has ruminated on these thoughts and ideas his entire life, and in many ways, across the lives of those who came before and after him.

Some essays are more impactful than others, of course, as is always the case with a collection like this. The title essay, Notes of a Native Son, is the longest and the most personal, exploring Baldwin’s relationship with his father, which—from what I understand—forms the basis of his first novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain (the one I plan to read next). The Harlem Ghetto is both an eye-opening and endearing inspection of the neighbourhood where Baldwin was born, grew up in, and that very much shaped his identity. The final four essays in Part Three have an added layer of complexity as they explore identity through Baldwin’s experiences in Paris and other parts of Europe, and make comparisons with America and American society. Equal in Paris is a fascinating personal account of Baldwin’s experience with the Paris prison system, and Stranger in the Village—which may be my favourite of all—is Baldwin’s exploration of identity and alienation, set during his time in the small, isolated village of Leukerbad, Switzerland but very much also about America. It’s a heavy one to end with, and is astoundingly relevant even 75 years after it was written.

The collected essays in Notes of a Native Son illustrates not only Baldwin’s own humanity, but the humanity he seeks out in others. There is much he lays bare, but an equal amount he does not say, and I’m intrigued to catch further glimpses of it as I read through his novels in the coming years. Within his words, there is something to learn for all of us who call the Earth our home.