--- title: "Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday: 3 Must-Read Books About His Life and Legacy" description: Must-read books that delve into the iconic James Baldwin's life, writing, and influence on his 100th birthday. image: https://sites.macmillan.com/hubfs/Central%20Marketing/Blog%20Headers/shutterstock_2302727987_2.jpg --- [![Macmillan](https://sites.macmillan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/Macmillan_August2023/images/macmillan-logo-red-1.png?width=1000&name=macmillan-logo-red-1.png "Macmillan")](https://us.macmillan.com/) Book Author Search for books, authors... There was an error. 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There was an error. Search ![shutterstock_2302727987_2](https://sites.macmillan.com/hubfs/Central%20Marketing/Blog%20Headers/shutterstock_2302727987_2.jpg) # Celebrating James Baldwin's 100th Birthday: 3 Must-Read Books About His Life and Legacy [Macmillan Publishers](https://sites.macmillan.com/blog/author/macmillan-publishers) 08/02/2024 [0](https://sites.macmillan.com/blog/james-baldwin-100th-birthday-must-read-books-about-his-life-legacy#postComment) 1 Minutes ### August 2 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of the iconic James Baldwin, a literary giant whose works have profoundly impacted American literature and civil rights. To honor this milestone, we have compiled a list of three essential books that delve into Baldwin's extraordinary life, powerful writing, and enduring influence.  ## [The Evidence of Things Not Seen](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250844897/theevidenceofthingsnotseen) ### by James Baldwin Over twenty-two months in 1979 and 1981 nearly two dozen children were unspeakably murdered in Atlanta despite national attention and outcry; they were all Black. James Baldwin investigated these murders, the Black administration in Atlanta, and Wayne Williams, the Black man tried for the crimes. Baldwin's incisive analysis implicates the failures of integration as the guilt party, arguing, "There could be no more devastating proof of this assault than the slaughter of the children." [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250844894?tag=macmillan-20) [Barnes & Noble](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781250844897) [Books-a-Million](http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250844897) [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/3214/9781250844897) [Powells](http://www.powells.com/partner/33241/biblio/9781250844897) [Target](https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=9781250844897) ![9781250844897](https://sites.macmillan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Central%20Marketing/Email%20Images/9781250844897.jpg?width=261&height=401&name=9781250844897.jpg)   ## [What Truth Sounds Like](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250199416/whattruthsoundslike) #### *Robert F. Kennedy, James Baldwin, and Our Unfinished Conversation About Race in America* ### by Michael Eric Dyson In 1963 Attorney General Robert Kennedy sought out James Baldwin to explain the rage that threatened to engulf black America. Baldwin brought along some friends, including playwright Lorraine Hansberry, psychologist Kenneth Clark, and a valiant activist, Jerome Smith. It was Smith’s relentless, unfiltered fury that set Kennedy on his heels, reducing him to sullen silence. *What Truth Sounds Like* exists at the tense intersection of the conflict between politics and prophecy – of whether we embrace political resolution or moral redemption to fix our fractured racial landscape. The future of race and democracy hang in the balance.  [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250199417?tag=macmillan-20) [Barnes & Noble](http://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7992675/type/dlg/sid/macmillan/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781250199416) [Books-a-Million](http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250199416) [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/3214/9781250199416) [Powells](http://www.powells.com/partner/33241/biblio/9781250199416) [Target](https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=9781250199416) ![9781250199416](https://sites.macmillan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/9781250199416.jpg?width=265&height=401&name=9781250199416.jpg)   ## [The Three Mothers](https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250756138/the-three-mothers) #### *How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation* ### by Anna Malaika Tubbs Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little were all born at the beginning of the 20th century and forced to contend with the prejudices of Jim Crow as Black women. These three extraordinary women passed their knowledge to their children with the hope of helping them to survive in a society that would deny their humanity from the very beginning — from Louise teaching her children about their activist roots, to Berdis encouraging James to express himself through writing, to Alberta basing all of her lessons in faith and social justice. [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250756138?tag=macmillan-20) [Barnes & Noble](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781250756138) [Books-a-Million](http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250756138) [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/3214/9781250756138) [Powells](http://www.powells.com/partner/33241/biblio/9781250756138) [Target](https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=9781250756138) ![9781250756138](https://sites.macmillan.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Central%20Marketing/Email%20Images/9781250756138.jpg?width=261&height=401&name=9781250756138.jpg)     --- #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://sites.macmillan.com/blog/james-baldwin-100th-birthday-must-read-books-about-his-life-legacy) - [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://sites.macmillan.com/blog/james-baldwin-100th-birthday-must-read-books-about-his-life-legacy&text=Celebrating%20James%20Baldwin's%20100th%20Birthday:%203%20Must-Read%20Books%20About%20His%20Life%20and%20Legacy) - 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