Culture

122 voters

The Best James Baldwin Books

Updated June 14, 2019 453 votes 122 voters 8.4k views20 items

List RulesVote for the James Baldwin novels you just couldn't put down. If you haven't read a book, don't downvote it.

List of the best James Baldwin books, ranked by voracious readers in the Ranker community. With commercial success and critical acclaim, there's no doubt that James Baldwin is one of the most popular authors of the last 100 years. One of the best African-American writers of all time, Baldwin's work often focuses on issues of race and class in Western society. If you're a huge fan of his work, then vote on your favorite novels below and make your opinion count. This poll is also a great resource for new fans of James Baldwin who want to know which novels they should start reading first. With memorable characters and excellent storytelling, there's no reason why you shouldn't check out his work if you're a big reader.

This list includes Go Tell It on the Mountain, Another Country, and more books. What are James Baldwin's best novels? Vote on this list and help us definitively answer that question.

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1
112
14
Giovanni's Room
James Baldwin
First Published: 1956
Subjects: Homosexuality, Love
Genres (Book): Novel
Original Language: English Language
2
44
14
Notes of a Native Son
James Baldwin
First Published: 1955
Subjects: Demographics of the United States, African American, United States of America, History of the United States
Genres (Book): Essay
Original Language: English Language
3
37
12
Go Tell It on the Mountain
James Baldwin
First Published: 1953
Subjects: Popular literature
Genres (Book): Autobiographical novel
Original Language: English Language
More Go Tell It on the Mountain
#63 of 156 The Greatest American Novels#9 of 41 The Best Autobiographical Novels
4
23
5
The Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
First Published: 1963
Subjects: Demographics of the United States, African American, Black Muslims, United States of America, History of the United States
Genres (Book): Essay, Fiction, Sociology
Original Language: English Language
5
18
7
Just Above My Head
James Baldwin
First Published: 1979
Genres (Book): Fiction, Novel
Original Language: English Language
6
14
4
If Beale Street Could Talk
James Baldwin
First Published: 1974-06-17
Subjects: Literary, Literature, Classics
Genres (Book): Fiction, Novel
Original Language: English Language
7
22
17
Another Country
James Baldwin
First Published: 1962
Genres (Book): Novel
Original Language: English Language
8
11
4
Going to Meet the Man
James Baldwin
First Published: 1965
Genres (Book): Short story
Original Language: English Language
9
10
4
Nobody Knows My Name
James Baldwin
First Published: 1961
Genres (Book): Non-fiction, Essay
Original Language: English Language
10
5
4
Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone
James Baldwin
First Published: 1968
Subjects: Heart
Genres (Book): Novel
Original Language: English Language
11
7
4
Blues for Mister Charlie
James Baldwin
First Published: 1964
Subjects: Drama, United States of America
Genres (Book): Play
Original Language: English Language
12
2
2
A Rap on Race
Margaret Mead, James Baldwin
First Published: 1971
Original Language: English Language
13
2
2
The Devil Finds Work
James Baldwin
First Published: 1976
Subjects: Performing arts, Film
Genres (Book): Essay
Original Language: English Language

14
2
2
The Price of the Ticket
James Baldwin
First Published: 1985
Subjects: American literature
Genres (Book): Essay
Original Language: English Language
15
2
2
Little Man Little Man: A Story of Childhood
James Baldwin
First Published: 1976
Genres (Book): Novella, Novel
Original Language: English Language
16
2
6
The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings
James Baldwin
First Published: 2010-08-24
Subjects: Cultural studies, Writing, Politics, Publishing, Personal identity
Original Language: American English
17
6
7
No Name in the Street
James Baldwin
First Published: 1972
Subjects: Demographics of the United States, African American, United States of America, History of the United States, 20th century
Genres (Book): Essay
Original Language: English Language
18
1
5
One day, when I was lost
James Baldwin
19
0
2
The Amen Corner
James Baldwin
First Published: 1954
Subjects: Drama
Genres (Book): Play
Original Language: English Language
20
6
10
The Evidence of Things Not Seen
James Baldwin
First Published: 1985
Subjects: Social science, Criminology
Genres (Book): Essay
Original Language: English Language