Recent Reviews
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time is a searing indictment of the systemic racism perpetrated by white Americans against their Black brethren. Written in 1962 and 1963, the two essays that comprise the book describe the suffering and humiliation African-Americans have endured in America. Though some progress has been made since publication, this book seems as powerful now as in the 1960s. Look no further than the murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers to see the persistence of racism and violence against Black Americans.
In the last few weeks, however, White Americans finally seem more receptive to viewing the long list of murders as part of a systemic problem, rather than another aberration. Black Lives Matter signs have sprouted in many communities and scores of companies, sports teams, and government entities are making long-overdue changes. Yet, so much work must be done.
There are a plethora of excellent books about race currently on the bestseller lists, yet Baldwin’s book is seminal. His prose is mesmerizing with its psychological, political, literary and religious underpinnings. The two pieces are a passionate plea for white Americans to understand our history, end the violence and cease discrimination in America’s institutions. Baldwin is not optimistic. He recognizes that most people prefer superiority to equality. It is hard to do justice to Baldwin’s writing. Instead, I will share a few quotes.
In Baldwin’s letter to his nephew, he writes,
“You were born where you were born and faced the future you faced because you were black and for no other reason. The limits of your ambition were, thus, expected to be set forever. You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being. “
“The really terrible thing, old buddy, is that you must accept them (white people). And I mean that very seriously. You must accept them and accept them with love. For these innocent people have no other hope. They are, in effect, still trapped in a history which they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it. They have had to believe and for many years, and for innumerable reasons, that black men are inferior to white men. Many of them, indeed, know better, but, as you will discover, people find it very difficult to act on what they know.”
In the second article titled Letter From A Region In My Mind, Baldwin describes the injustice Black Americans experience.
“The brutality with which Negroes are treated in this country simply cannot be overstated, however unwilling white men may be to hear it. In the beginning-and neither can this be overstated – a Negro just cannot believe that white people are treating him as they do; he does not know what he had done to merit it. And when he realizes that the treatment accorded him has nothing to do with anything he had done, that the attempt of white people to destroy him -for that is what it is – is utterly gratuitous, it is not hard for him to think of white people as devils.”
“I am, then, both visibly and legally the descendant of slaves in a white, Protestant country, and this is what it means to be an American Negro, this who he is - a kidnapped pagan, who was sold like an animal and treated like one, who was once defined by the American Constitution as ‘three-fifths’ of a man, and who, according to the Dred Scott decision, had no rights that a white man was bound to respect.”
Not surprisingly, Baldwin emigrated to France in the early 1950s. He believed that America must end the “racial nightmare” not just for African Americans but for the benefit of all Americans.
In these times of political chaos and racial violence, Baldwin’s views remain prophetic and critical to our democracy.
what we will become by Mimi Lemay
In the preface of Mimi Lemay’s magnificent memoir What We Will Become, Lemay writes, “There are no villains here, only flawed human beings. We are all a unique composition of our desires, beliefs, greatness and limitations.” This quote sets the tone for an authentic and empathic story about becoming one’s true self.
As soon as Joe and Mimi Lemay’s second daughter Em can speak, Em tells her parents, “I am a boy.” When Em and her big sister play imaginary games, Em dresses and act like a boy. When Em starts changing her clothes multiple times a day, Mimi and Joe believe their child might be obsessive-compulsive. They wonder: is this a phase? Maybe she will be gay? They conclude she is too young to be thinking about these issues. But soon, Em begins growling like a dog. Em only wants to wear boy’s clothes and asks to be called boys’ names at home. Em’s tantrums escalate while Mimi and Joe search for the best way to help their child. They meet with doctors and social workers at Children’s Hospital, talk with Em’s pre-school teacher and voraciously read about child development. Months pass and at each juncture, Em persists in wanting to be treated like a boy.
A breakthrough occurs when the family takes a trip to Disney World. Since they are away from home, Joe and Mimi allow Em to get a boy’s haircut and wear boy’s clothes. They witness a transformation. Em, who is usually sullen and testy, exhibits a lightness each time a person identifies him as a boy. Em appears happy and joyful. When they return home, they allow Em to start kindergarten identifying as a boy. Em becomes Jacob. Lemay expresses anxiety about this decision and is aware of the potential pitfalls. And though she feels sad about the loss of her daughter, her intuition tells her this is the right decision.
Children often repeat or complete the problems that plagued the prior generation. As Mimi wrestles with how to best parent her child, she shares that she, too, has been on an internal journey to find her religious identity. Miriam Netzer was born in 1976 in Jerusalem, Israel. Her parents divorced when Mimi was a toddler; Mimi and her brother lived with their observant Orthodox mother in the United States. When Mimi is in 5th grade, she requests that people call her Mimi instead of Miriam. Her mother persists in calling her Miriam. The Netzer family life revolves around observing the edicts of Orthodox Judaism. Mimi attends Orthodox schools and keeps the thousands of rules required of this sect of Judaism. Mimi’s mother, Judith, is steadfast while her daughter Mimi questions the lessons taught by the Orthodox rabbis. Mimi objects most to the daily prayer her brother is required to say, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, Master of the Universe, who has not made me a woman.” Several schools ask Lemay to leave. Lemay’s intelligence and curiosity propel her to confront authorities who want obedience to this version of faith. Lemay's knowledge of the Torah’s valuable lessons enriches this memoir as she intersperses stories into the narrative. She doesn’t want to discard her faith; she wants to be less observant.
Because of Lemay’s struggles leaving her religious community, she has profound compassion for her child. She and her son both pay a high price to live authentic lives. In an ironic twist, Mimi’s mother’s rigidity fosters in Mimi great flexibility, which ultimately allows Em to become Jacob. What We Will Become is a layered, intimate and heartful memoir. Mimi Lemay and her husband Joe, have given their child the greatest gift a parent can give a child, the freedom to be one’s authentic self.
Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’, ‘Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’ is a well-written and heartbreaking account of his experiences with our country’s broken immigration system and diminishing moral vision. Though the book includes immigration statistics, historical records and sociological analysis, its strength derives from Vargas’ personalization of our country’s punitive and punishing immigration policies. Look no farther than recent news reports about children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border to know that lawmakers must take action. The complication: an increasing number of policymakers oppose accepting more immigrants, illegal or legal. It appears they want to keep people of color out of our country. Vargas’s book illustrates the critical importance of compromise and the necessity for a transparent process for immigration. A resolution will benefit not just immigrants but repair the soul of our country.
In 1993, when Vargas was 12-years old and living in the Philippines, his mother told him they were going to live with her parents in America. He would fly first with an “uncle,” and soon, his mother would follow. The “uncle” turned out to be a smuggler whom his grandfather had paid. Vargas’s story echoes the experience of millions of children (many who are now referred to as Dreamers) who were brought to the United States illegally by parents who wanted a better life for their children.
He moved into his grandparents’ house in Mountain View, California, in Silicon Valley. Though his Mom’s arrival kept getting delayed, he worked hard to become “American.” He was bright, curious and became very involved in his middle school and high school. Everything changed when he turned 16. Without telling his grandparents, he went to the DMV to obtain his driver’s permit. The bureaucrat told him his green card was fake. He biked home in a panic. His grandfather said in Tagalog, “You are not supposed to be here.” Those words haunted him for years.
And yet, he couldn’t return to the Philippines either. His passport was fraudulent. He says of his large extended family that had immigrated legally, “They had conspired to send me to America to give me a better life without realizing they had created a nightmare for me. And I was scared. I couldn’t stay legally. I couldn’t leave legally either. I was trapped.”
Vargas shifts into overdrive to “earn” his place in America. He confides in trusted adults in his school community who embrace him. They help him apply to college, obtain a scholarship and navigate newspaper internships. Vargas feels free writing and reporting. “I realized that writing was the freest thing I could do, unencumbered by borders and legal documents and largely dependent on my skills and talent.” Soon he writes for several eminent publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and the New Yorker.
Yet, the cost of lying, passing and hiding extracts a substantial emotional price. Vargas’ anxiety soars as he fears exposure. He makes “illegal” choices as he continues working and living in a legal no-man’s land. He asks his readers,” If you wanted to have a career if you wanted to have a life, if you wanted to exist as a human being, what would you have done?” When he turns thirty, he decides to share his undocumented legal status publically. He notes how pundits, policymakers, and American citizens don’t understand the immigration system. People say, “Just get to the back of the line and all will be good,” and Vargas wants to scream, “THERE IS NO LINE. THERE IS NO PROCESS. IN THE EYES OF THE LAW, I DO NOT EXIST.”
Vargas’s book is both insightful and inspiring. He understands the political and racial dimensions of this issue. He says, “When white people move, then and now, it’s seen as courageous and necessary, celebrated in history books. Yet when people of color move, legally or illegally, the migration itself is subject to the question of legality. Most immigrants, he reminds us, love America, obey the laws and pay their taxes.
For Jose Antonio Vargas and his fellow Dreamers, the United States is their home. By sharing his undocumented status, he has sacrificed a great deal. His journey continues to be painful, with no resolution in sight. He reminds us of what many Americans seem to forget: except for Native Americans, we are all immigrants.
