God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin - by Hilton Als (Hardcover)

About the Book

"When James Baldwin died in 1987, he left behind an extraordinary body of work. Novels, poems, film scripts, and, perhaps most indelibly, essays constituted the great artist's writing, which was not divisible from his work and subsequent fame as a civil rights activist. A friend to and supporter of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers, Baldwin was the voice of a movement--a voice that struggled after his early recognition as a creator to retain the author's 'I,' while taking on the 'We' of his people."--Provided by publishe

Book Synopsis

Baldwin's life and legacy as remembered by a pantheon of artists and writers: from Jamaica Kincaid and Barry Jenkins to Richard Avedon and Alice Neel

When author James Baldwin died in 1987, he left behind an extraordinary body of work: novels, poems, film scripts and, perhaps most indelibly, essays. A friend and supporter of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Medgar Evers, Baldwin was a critical voice in the civil rights movement. After reaching acclaim in his early career as a writer, he struggled to retain the author's "I," while taking on the "we" of the people.
Edited by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Hilton Als and growing out of his landmark exhibition at David Zwirner in 2019, God Made My Face brings together an impressive assembly of contributors, ranging from Baldwin biographer David Leeming to novelist Jamaica Kincaid and Moonlight director Barry Jenkins, to create a memorial mosaic: one that not only mirrors Baldwin's various tones but also closely examines his singular contributions to cinema, theater, the essay and Black American critical studies. These essays are illustrated by artwork from modern and contemporary artists who were either personal contemporaries of Baldwin or directly inspired by his work. In each piece assembled here, the authors speak from a personal, informed perspective, illuminating Baldwin's deeply anguished and enlightened voice and his belief that, ultimately--because we are human--we share the potential to love, connect and live together in all our glory.
Artists include: Diane Arbus, Eugène Atget, Richard Avedon, Don Bachardy, Alvin Baltrop, Anthony Barboza, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Beauford Delaney, Marlene Dumas, Glenn Ligon, George McCalman, Alice Neel, Elle Pérez, Cameron Rowland, Kara Walker, James Welling, Larry Wolhandler.
Authors include: Stephen Best, Daphne A. Brooks, Teju Cole, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Barry Jenkins, Jamaica Kincaid, David Leeming, Darryl Pinckney.

Review Quotes

A beautiful book. A magical book. An important book. And it cost me next to nothing. A book about James Baldwin. Like many of the best books are. What a luxury. What a treasure. What a magical thing to have.--Scott Manley Hadley

God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin' is a delicious assemblage of interviews, essays and works of art by talented and learned intellectuals and artists. The book is so lovingly done, leaving one not only breathless, but also avid to learn more about not only Baldwin's art, but him as a person, lamenting his untimely death in 1987 at the age of 63.--Cornelius Washington "Bay Area Reporter"

He's more alive than most of the living writers we know, his torch is still lit and cannot be passed. Nevertheless, we keep going to meet him, we keep letting him down from the pedestal just to send him back up there alone like our perfect black Sisyphus. What we say about him reveals us.--Harmony Holiday "Bookforum"

Hilton Als teaches us how to attend to Baldwin, moving us toward a new theorization of portraiture.--Amber Jamilla Musser "Brooklyn Rail"

God Made My Face: A Collective Portrait of James Baldwin' helps render a clearer picture of one of history's greatest writers.--Jasmine Weber "Hyperallergic"

It is near-impossible for us to truly know the writer, despite this inheritance of written words, but 'God Made My Face' helps bring him into deeper focus.--Jasmine Weber "Hyperallergic"

Each of the essays takes an inherently personal stance, echoing Baldwin's willingness to strip bear before his readers.--Hesper Cane "Widewalls"

The book encourages a reading so close that the author's own breath can be felt on the reader's face.--Michelle Santiago Cortés "Dirt"