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Cover of The Fire Next Time

The Fire Next Time

James Baldwin

Written by
James Baldwin
Length
2 hrs 40 min
Rating
4.6 / 5
Publisher
Audible Studios
Released
2026-08-13

Shelved under

What it is

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The book that galvanized the nation, gave voice to the emerging civil rights movement in the 1960s—and still lights the way to understanding race in America today. • "The finest essay I’ve ever read.”—Ta-Nehisi Coates

At once a powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice, the book is an intensely personal and provocative document from the iconic author of If Beale Street Could Talk and Go Tell It on the Mountain. It consists of two "letters," written on the occasion of the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation, that exhort Americans, both black and white, to attack the terrible legacy of racism.

Described by The New York Times Book Review as "sermon, ultimatum, confession, deposition, testament, and chronicle … all presented in searing, brilliant prose," The Fire Next Time stands as a classic of literature.

Featuring original music by Terrace Martin.

On the charts

Last charted September 26, 2026. Its best position was 16 on New releases in History, reached September 26, 2026. Seen on 2 charts that day.

ChartBestDaysLast seen
History
New releases 16 1 day September 26, 2026
Libby 45 1 day September 26, 2026

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