At its core, this is a deep dive into what it means to be a black man in America. I was disappointed in the lack of serious emotional and sexual exploration and depth in each of Leo's relationships (including his incestuous one), as they're marketed as focal points in his life. It is this authenticity of description and experience that allows you to become so involved and invested in the stories and the journeys of his characters. Few writers have the capacity to make me fall in love, and to break my heart, and Baldwin does it best. One of Leo's lovers, "Black Christopher", is a significant political and emotional figure in the novel. Baldwin can take a cast of characters on a journey without a solid plot and create a fire. I wouldn't recommend starting with this book if you are new to Baldwin's work. The sun comes up, out from the west, Up pops the same old moon, Same as the train to explain There'll be another choo-choo soon! In this novel, just like Another Country, I saw parts of myself in many of the characters, which is a talent that cannot be scaled. He wants better roles than the stereotypical black servant.

Barbara and Christopher have one sexual encounter, but, like much of the sex in the book, it is exploratory, and only significant for what it reveals to each of them. Three and a half stars? He works hard, moving from city to city, dancing wit “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone” by James Baldwin tells the story of Leo Proudhammer, a successful African American actor who grew up in Harlem. While not essential to one’s reading, I would recommend pairing this with The Fire Next Time, as there are numerous autobiographical details discussed in that book that directly contribute to moments in this book. This book will truly move your heart and mind, and push you grapple with your own contradictions...READ IT.Jimmy leaves my jaw on the floor Everytime! Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone is overpowering in its vitality and extravagant in the intensity of its feeling. In this lesser known work, Baldwin demonstrates his skillful use language, and his deep understanding of the human condition in the racist, sexist, heteronormative, capitalist United States. Their life stories are intertwined, but not joined, due both to the racial pressures of society and Leo's bisexuality. One of Leo's lovers, "Black Christopher", is a significant political and emotional figure in the novel. Barbara, Leo, and Christopher remain friends throughout the novel. To my disappointment, this book did not have the same complexity, depth, nor energy that Another Country had. There is a great deal of dissent on that point. Download or stream Tell Me How Long the Trains Been Gone by James Baldwin. Jerry, their white friend, was Barbara's partner for a while, before Barbara revealed her love for Leo. Similarly, the relationships with Barbara and Christopher aren't fully developed and had me inferring. His characters live and breathe in ways to which we can all relate, and exist in worlds we recognise. My heart and I went down again. The prose of this book is, in actuality, poetic. Kay Starr - "Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone" - YouTube Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. The latter isn't mentioned until the last 30 pages. The sun comes up, out from the west, Up pops the same old moon, Same as the train to explain There'll be another choo-choo soon! It is a book that is angry and tender and also hopeful. The work is a good loooong example of Baldwin's narrative style; talky, conversational, personal. Early in this novel, Baldwin devotes a few pages to a humorous comparison of the ways French, Swiss and Italian border guards behave: the French being rude and inefficient, the Swiss intensely serious, efficient and systematic, the Italians rather surprised that one had bothered to visit their country but delighted all the same and not remotely concerned about the rules. He wants better roles than the stereotypical black servant. As he hovers between life and death, Baldwin shows the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable. But that doesn't affect their feelings about each other nearly as much as it affects their ability to be together in socieThe back of this book makes it out to be the life story of a black actor who rises to greatness, but is "torn between two different kinds of love".

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