The Fire Next Time was published in 1963 and deeply reflects the politics of the Civil Rights Movement. The non-fiction text includes two essays that were initially published in magazines the year prior.
The first and shortest essay, “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation,” is addressed to Baldwin’s young nephew and namesake. In the cautionary letter he laments on the fact that his nephew’s life will also be deeply complicated and troubled due to racism. Baldwin traces their family history, specifically noting how he and his brother encountered systemic racism as children. Baldwin warns his nephew of “the danger in the minds of white...
