Going to Meet the Man (1991) Parents Guide: Is the book OK for kids?

Sexuality is present throughout and is almost never separable from power or racial identity. The title story is built on a white man named Jesse's sexual arousal at the memory of racial violence, described explicitly and at length, ending in an act of sex charged with a racial slur. In 'The Outing,' two boys, David and Johnnie, experience a tense, homoerotic emotional connection during a church trip, while 'Come Out the Wilderness' details Ruth's complex relationship with a white man named Paul. Baldwin also…

The violence in this collection is severe, specific, and often racially motivated. The title story, 'Going to Meet the Man,' describes a lynching witnessed by a young Jesse: a Black man is tortured, castrated with a knife, and burned alive in front of a picnicking crowd of white families. In 'The Man Child,' a man named Jamie commits a shocking act of violence, strangling his friend's young son, Eric, in a barn. Physical abuse and the threat of state power recur, such as the police brutality mentioned in the title…

Strong and historically rooted profanity is used throughout the collection. Racial slurs, particularly the n-word, appear repeatedly and pointedly as Baldwin explores the linguistic tools of oppression and dehumanization. In stories like 'Previous Condition' and the title story, the use of slurs is central to the character development of both the victims and the perpetrators. Crude sexual language and anatomical terms appear in the context of both dialogue and internal monologue, particularly when Jesse reflects…

'Sonny's Blues' is centrally focused on heroin addiction, following the narrator's brother, Sonny, as he navigates the pain leading to his arrest and his subsequent attempt at recovery. The narrative offers a raw, honest look at the physical and emotional pull of narcotics without glamorizing the usage. Alcohol is a constant presence in other stories; in 'The Man Child,' Jamie and Saul's heavy drinking serves as a precursor to the story's tragic ending. In 'This Morning, This Evening, So Soon,' characters consume…

This collection is Baldwin at his most unsparing regarding race, family, faith, and the private cost of American racism. Fathers like Gabriel in 'The Rockpile' exhibit a religious rage that crushes their sons, while church discipline is often shown as a substitute for true tenderness. The emotional weight of 'Previous Condition' follows an actor named Peter who finds that his talent cannot protect him from the reality of housing discrimination. Self-hatred, the struggle for artistic expression, and the possibility…