Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own

Discuss Glaude’s use of the term “elsewhere.” What role does it play in Baldwin’s life? How can it benefit Black Americans today?

Discuss the recurring theme of new beginnings.

Define the term “after times.” How does it function in Glaude’s book?

Glaude turns to Baldwin not just for perspective and inspiration, but also for guidance. Address the ways in which Baldwin’s writings speak to the current sociopolitical climate.

Discuss the role of dark, violent, or macabre imagery in Glaude’s book.

Begin Again combines elements of biography, literary criticism, history, and personal anecdotes. How does this fluidity affect Glaude’s project? What questions does it allow him to ask? What connections does it allow him to make that adhering to a single genre would not?

Discuss the political lineage that connects Reagan to Trump. Why is it counterproductive to see Trump as an anomaly? 

Why does Glaude marginalize Barack Obama’s presidency? How might centering the country’s first Black president have contributed to or altered his narrative?