James Baldwin would have been 100 today. Here are seven titles by him you should know

James Baldwin, born in New York on Aug. 2, 1924, would have turned 100 today! The illustrious author and civil rights activist died in 1987 in France at the age of 63, but he left behind an unmatched legacy in literature, Black history, and writings tied to civil rights. He was a Black man who didn’t just dream of having a good life, he sought it out even when that meant coming out as queer later in life.

From “Giovanni’s Room” to “Go Tell It on the Mountain” to “If Beale Street Could Talk,” his work is ever-relevant. Based on the myriad graphics using his quotes on the internet, it would appear Baldwin had  wisdom to share for nearly every occasion but especially in times of unrest.

“To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time,” he aptly said once.

Some of his best writing is also about love and joy. He showed all sides of humanity in his unforgettable Black characters.

“Love takes off the masks we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within,” he said.

While he was an award-winning, eloquent writer who joined the long list of American writers and artists becoming expats in Paris, he remained a fierce and vocal advocate for the civil rights movement in the United States. He called Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. friends in his lifetime, and is credited in his essay “The Fire Next Time” included in the collection “The Fire Next Time; Nobody Knows My Name; No Name in the Street; The Devil Finds Work,” for giving the young but growing civil rights movement of the early ’60s its voice. 

If you’ve been meaning to finally pick up a title of his or even if he’s an old favorite you’re looking to revisit, his birthday is the perfect opportunity. Below we’ve gathered seven of his top titles worth picking up or revisiting.