Nonfiction

Dark Days

Dark Days

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  • Create Date：2021-04-02 14:54:47
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：James Baldwin
  • ISBN：0241337542
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Summary

'So the club rose， the blood came down， and his bitterness and his anguish and his guilt were compounded'

Drawing on Baldwin's own experiences of prejudice in an America violently divided by race， these searing essays blend the intensely personal with the political to envisage a better world。

Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series， with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary， international flavour。 Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin， Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan， New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space。

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Reviews

Jodie McPherson ，

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿Dark Days by James Baldwin “The educational system of this country is， in short， designed to destroy the black child。 It does not matter whether it destroys him by stoning him in the ghetto or by driving him mad in the isolation of Harvard。” This Penguin Modern is composed of three Baldwin essays:📖 The White Man’s Guilt （1965）: written during the Civil Rights era， this essay discusses the colour blindness myth and its consequences 📖 Dark Days （1980）: this essay discusses the stark d 🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿Dark Days by James Baldwin “The educational system of this country is， in short， designed to destroy the black child。 It does not matter whether it destroys him by stoning him in the ghetto or by driving him mad in the isolation of Harvard。” This Penguin Modern is composed of three Baldwin essays:📖 The White Man’s Guilt （1965）: written during the Civil Rights era， this essay discusses the colour blindness myth and its consequences 📖 Dark Days （1980）: this essay discusses the stark differences in everyday life for Black and white people 📖 The Price of the Ticket （1985）: in this personal essay， Baldwin reflects on his journey to becoming a writer in a white centred world I cannot believe I have never read any of Baldwin’s work before- that is going to change ASAP！ He is such a talented writer who conveys such emotion in few words。 Even though this book is only 40 pages long， I made so many notes！ This essay collection made me really emotional as it made me reflect on the very little progression we have made since the 60s。。。 so many of the barriers and hurdles that Baldwin discussed are still relevant today。 A truly fantastic essay collection that I highly recommend you pick up！ CW// racism， bigotry 🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼/5 。。。more

Marissa ，

Still so relevant， all these years later。。。

Kenza Afane ，

Must read！ Great introduction to the epic Baldwin。 Racism is painted here as it is， as clear as it was and as accurate as it still is。 I found it intimate and very personal， while universal and relatable。

Raven ，

I first heard of James Baldwin through his novel Giovanni’s Room， though he has multiple other well known novels。 I found these essays very insightful and interesting， and explained some things I’d heard him speak on in interviews。 As far as I’m aware he was gay， but he was writing at a time when you couldn’t have two marginalized identities and first and foremost he preferred to be known as a Black writer rather than a gay one。 I would definitely recommend this as a good essay that focuses more I first heard of James Baldwin through his novel Giovanni’s Room， though he has multiple other well known novels。 I found these essays very insightful and interesting， and explained some things I’d heard him speak on in interviews。 As far as I’m aware he was gay， but he was writing at a time when you couldn’t have two marginalized identities and first and foremost he preferred to be known as a Black writer rather than a gay one。 I would definitely recommend this as a good essay that focuses more on the realities of life rather than anything based on theory。 。。。more

Kimberley ，

4。5this is an incredible collection of essays， and my first look at Baldwin's works。 i've been wanting to read his work for a while， and this little book was very cheap so i figured it would be a good way to figure out if i will like his writing， and the answer is yes， and i want to read all of his fiction immediately。 the essays were important， impactful and still， sadly， relevant 4。5this is an incredible collection of essays， and my first look at Baldwin's works。 i've been wanting to read his work for a while， and this little book was very cheap so i figured it would be a good way to figure out if i will like his writing， and the answer is yes， and i want to read all of his fiction immediately。 the essays were important， impactful and still， sadly， relevant 。。。more

Natasha Chapman ，

I love it when I read something poetic that is not a poem。 That is what it felt like reading the three excerpts in this book。 Baldwin interprets systemic racism and oppression in a way that even forty years later sounds so original。 I appreciate how easily he can describe something which seems complex but truly is so black and white。 He emphasises what is known but often unappreciated or unacknowledged， that there is not white without black， no oppression without the oppressed， one will always n I love it when I read something poetic that is not a poem。 That is what it felt like reading the three excerpts in this book。 Baldwin interprets systemic racism and oppression in a way that even forty years later sounds so original。 I appreciate how easily he can describe something which seems complex but truly is so black and white。 He emphasises what is known but often unappreciated or unacknowledged， that there is not white without black， no oppression without the oppressed， one will always need the other to feel superior。 That superiority complex is socially constructed and entrenched in our institutions and it may not be the fault of individuals who are white but they certainly benefit so much so that any threat to that such as the liberation of black people can not happen or to be more appropriate， they will not let it happen。 Listen， Baldwin makes it sound a lot better and actually knows what he's talking about so read it。 。。。more

Nathan Nguyen ，

Dark Days is， certainly， one of Baldwin’s less popular works—that it is， in size， comparable to Chairman Mao’s little red book， I imagine， is one reason， for I can barely see it on my bookshelf， wedged between Another Country and Giovanni’s Room—yet， I bought it anyway （and， for only two bucks！）。 A compilation of three essays， the pamphlet features "Dark Days" （1980）， "The Price of the Ticket" （1985）—which is also the title of one of his larger collections， which， unfortunately， is seldom found， Dark Days is， certainly， one of Baldwin’s less popular works—that it is， in size， comparable to Chairman Mao’s little red book， I imagine， is one reason， for I can barely see it on my bookshelf， wedged between Another Country and Giovanni’s Room—yet， I bought it anyway （and， for only two bucks！）。 A compilation of three essays， the pamphlet features "Dark Days" （1980）， "The Price of the Ticket" （1985）—which is also the title of one of his larger collections， which， unfortunately， is seldom found， being a collector’s edition， nowadays， and， also， the biographical documentary released after his death—and "White Man’s Guilt" （1965）。 His words are passionate， angry， calling back to his days as a youth minister; commas—lots of commas—polysyndeton， and profusely interspersed adjective clauses build a rhythm， a crescendo， atop which one looks back on what Baldwin recalls as “those dark days'' （80）。 He talks of his inheritance， that rich， artisan culture brought forth by the likes of Bessie Smith， Paul Robeson， Ella Fitzgerald， of Harlem and poverty， of the many thousands gone， those whom he loved， and very much looked like， who， one day， ate their revolver， or who， one day， jumped off the George Washington Bridge， or who， one day， were found in some back alley， laying jack-knifed against a brick wall， fallen to the fatal spell of the needle， dead。 And， yet， Baldwin moves onto the contemporary， the American Republic， specifically， its enduring mythos， that its history is one of heroism， clean as Mr。 White， its failure—or， perhaps， not a failure， for failures are not intentional—to educate its youth， its inability， still， as a nation， though he speaks， in the main， of the white population （this may be redundant， for America is a white nation， after all） to look itself in the mirror， past the self-delusions， the pious documents and monuments， past the current Reagan dilemma， at the time。 One reads this， now， wondering: when did those dark days stop？ For Eugene Worth， one of Baldwin’s closest friends， who， perhaps in another lifetime， would have been his lover， who perished when he leaped off the George Washington Bridge， in the winter of 1946， and Arthur McDuffie， the Florida man bludgeoned to death by policemen， who， by the way， were all acquitted， in 1980， and， now， the countless Black men and women within the past year， or so—many thousands gone—were all murdered not by a lasting， stubborn ailment， an unfortunate， incidental flaw， of this nation but by the nation， by the American Republic， itself; alas， the dark days， Baldwin reveals， are not behind us—they are with us。 Then， one concludes， as Parisians like to say， plus ça change， plus c'est la même chose: The more things change， the more they stay the same。 If America， if the entire Western world， does not come face-to-face with its historical record， it will choke on its own contradictions， the capitalist hegemony will crumble， and the prophecy， as Baldwin outlined in 1961， will come true。 God gave Noah the rainbow sign， No more water， the fire next time！ 。。。more

Oliver Elliott-Rye ，

A small collection of essays （only coming in at 50 pages） by Baldwin， which I purchased as a little primer before going into Giovanni's Room。 What strikes me most about Baldwin， a man who has fascinated me in interviews and speeches， is that there is an undeniability to him and I feel he should be required reading （or viewing， as he has been for me） for people on the discussion of race; with much of what Baldwin writes here being sorrowfully relevant today; Baldwin dissects issues that are only A small collection of essays （only coming in at 50 pages） by Baldwin， which I purchased as a little primer before going into Giovanni's Room。 What strikes me most about Baldwin， a man who has fascinated me in interviews and speeches， is that there is an undeniability to him and I feel he should be required reading （or viewing， as he has been for me） for people on the discussion of race; with much of what Baldwin writes here being sorrowfully relevant today; Baldwin dissects issues that are only now coming into popular conversation with eloquence， intelligence， and empathy。 At only 50 pages this can be read cover to cover but will almost certainly find much life on your shelf after that， either by yourself or by passing this small collection of wonderful words onto other people。 I， for one， will be mailing this text to my brother and looking forward to reading more of Baldwin's essays and novels。 。。。more

Malinda ，

（Really rated 3。5; I will have to read more of his works。）

Sharifa ，

love his writing， as always。 "trust life， and it will teach you， in sorrow and joy， all you need to know。" love his writing， as always。 "trust life， and it will teach you， in sorrow and joy， all you need to know。" 。。。more

Alec Downie ，

Baldwin is nothing short of brilliant。 His capacity to boil the notion， challenges and obstructions faced by both blacks and whites in America into a clear， concise and brutally honest statement of fact is both hurtful and humbling。 At times I felt I was reading something that was written just yesterday， such was the power of his understanding of the roots of racial divide， and grasp of why the fear of losing white power， continues to perpetuate racial obscenities in the USA。Every child should b Baldwin is nothing short of brilliant。 His capacity to boil the notion， challenges and obstructions faced by both blacks and whites in America into a clear， concise and brutally honest statement of fact is both hurtful and humbling。 At times I felt I was reading something that was written just yesterday， such was the power of his understanding of the roots of racial divide， and grasp of why the fear of losing white power， continues to perpetuate racial obscenities in the USA。Every child should be introduced to these texts as early in their development as possible。100% Recommended。 。。。more

Tiyasha Chaudhury ，

Henceforth， Baldwin is one of the most influential writers for me。

Munjiru ，

I like to pick up these little Penguin Modern’s whenever I find one on a theme I’m curious about and having read Giovanni’s Room， I was definitely interested in seeing more from Baldwin。 This is a collection of 3 essays: Dark Days， The Price of the Ticket and The White Man’s Guilt。 The White Man’s Guilt was my favorite but they all had me highlighting passages and nodding along to their unfortunate relevance in the present day。These essays were written in the 60s - 80s and reading them now in 20 I like to pick up these little Penguin Modern’s whenever I find one on a theme I’m curious about and having read Giovanni’s Room， I was definitely interested in seeing more from Baldwin。 This is a collection of 3 essays: Dark Days， The Price of the Ticket and The White Man’s Guilt。 The White Man’s Guilt was my favorite but they all had me highlighting passages and nodding along to their unfortunate relevance in the present day。These essays were written in the 60s - 80s and reading them now in 2021 and seeing all the things that have not changed since then just makes me wonder if there will ever come an end to it all。Excerpt:>>> 。。。the news of the acquittal of the four Miami policemen who beat the black man McDuffie to death。 That news made page 24 of the New York Times。 The uprising resulting from the acquittal made page one。Tell me this is not a story that would fit right into yesteryear's BLM protests。This was a good reflection on the impact history has on the present day and how， as much as some may want to deny it， it must be dealt with before we can move forward and effect lasting change。 。。。more

Dannii Elle ，

"History， as nearly no one seems to know， is not merely something to be read。 And it does not refer merely， or even principally， to the past。 In the contrary， the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us， are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways， and history is literally present in all that we do。 It could scarcely be otherwise， since it is the history that we owe our frames of reference， our identities， and our aspirations。 And it is with great pain and terro "History， as nearly no one seems to know， is not merely something to be read。 And it does not refer merely， or even principally， to the past。 In the contrary， the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us， are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways， and history is literally present in all that we do。 It could scarcely be otherwise， since it is the history that we owe our frames of reference， our identities， and our aspirations。 And it is with great pain and terror that one begins to realise this。 In great pain and terror one begins to assess the history which has placed one where one is， and formed one’s point of view。 In great pain and terror because， thereafter， one enters into battle with that historical creation， Oneself， and attempts to recreate oneself according to a principle more humane and more liberating: one begins the attempt to achieve a level of personal maturity and freedom which robs history of its tyrannical power， and also changes history。"This short volume collected some of James Baldwin's harrowing and empowering words， concerning the racial prejudice he has experienced in America。 Baldwin ensures his readers understand the suffering and degradation at the hands of racist individuals， systems， and ideologies and spares them none of the details or the emotion。 After all， he hasn't been spared any of it。 This entire volume might have contained just 50 short pages but they were some of the most important and well-penned I have ever read。 It hurts to think about just why they were a necessary creation in the first place， though。 。。。more

Alan Mills ，

Three powerful essays on race。 Each is taken from a different period of his life （from 1965 to 1985）; each takes a slightly different approach。 But all dear right to the heart of the history of racism in the US。 As Baldwin says， history is not about the past; history is about how we view ourselves in the present。 The narrative we tell ourselves about who we are and how we got here。If you don’t know James Baldwin， this is a good place to start。 If you know James Baldwin， this is a great little bo Three powerful essays on race。 Each is taken from a different period of his life （from 1965 to 1985）; each takes a slightly different approach。 But all dear right to the heart of the history of racism in the US。 As Baldwin says， history is not about the past; history is about how we view ourselves in the present。 The narrative we tell ourselves about who we are and how we got here。If you don’t know James Baldwin， this is a good place to start。 If you know James Baldwin， this is a great little book of gems to remind you why he is so special。 。。。more

Elena Louverdis ，

‘The irreducible price of learning is realising that you do not know’， and in the wake of the horrific and turbulent year past， Baldwin forces you to weep at your own ignorance and try， just try to understand。

James ，

Interesting and well-written essays。

ana rita ，

“A man is a man， a woman is a woman， a child is a child。 To deny these facts is to open doors on a chaos deeper and deadlier， and， within the space of a man’s lifetime， more timeless， more eternal， than the medieval vision of Hell。” ugh everything this man writes is so beautiful， “those who waved and sang and wept and could not join the marching， but had brought so many of us to the place where we could march”？？？？ i’m holding back tears

Afroqueen1904 ，

There are three essays in this small book （50 pages） and they are a powerful introduction to James Baldwin if you have never read his work before。 These essays are eloquent，opportune and essential reading。Baldwin discusses race relations （and racism） in the United States of America， drawing from his own experiences with identity，prejudice and exclusion as a black man。 It speaks volumes of our current state of affairs that the points made in these essays， which were written decades ago， are still There are three essays in this small book （50 pages） and they are a powerful introduction to James Baldwin if you have never read his work before。 These essays are eloquent，opportune and essential reading。Baldwin discusses race relations （and racism） in the United States of America， drawing from his own experiences with identity，prejudice and exclusion as a black man。 It speaks volumes of our current state of affairs that the points made in these essays， which were written decades ago， are still so relevant。 It shows just how little has changed/improved since。 We are still having the same conversations and campaigning for and against the same issues。 Depressing，isn't it？ And also shameful and inexcusable。 But as Baldwin fittingly writes: "Once a people arise，they never go away"。James Baldwin is truly exceptional and I will forever be thankful for his remarkable work。 It should be mandatory reading。 。。。more

Amy Lime ，

Loved this even more than The Fire Next Time！ Baldwin's criticism is sharp and I ended up tabbing so many lines in this book。 Might also be because I read this around the time of the insurrection of our capitol， so it really hit。Favorite quote:"one was expected to be 'patriotic' and pledge allegiance to a flag which had pledged no allegiance to you"Also:"The romance of treason never occurred to us for the brutally simple reason that you can't betray a country you don't have。" Loved this even more than The Fire Next Time！ Baldwin's criticism is sharp and I ended up tabbing so many lines in this book。 Might also be because I read this around the time of the insurrection of our capitol， so it really hit。Favorite quote:"one was expected to be 'patriotic' and pledge allegiance to a flag which had pledged no allegiance to you"Also:"The romance of treason never occurred to us for the brutally simple reason that you can't betray a country you don't have。" 。。。more

Jasmine ，

This was so quick to get through and yet I felt like I'd taken a lot in。 I appreciated the way it discusses racial disparities in an anecdotal way， with stories rather than statistics。 Truly something I'd recommend to everyone， even as a starting point to understanding systemic and social racism。 This was so quick to get through and yet I felt like I'd taken a lot in。 I appreciated the way it discusses racial disparities in an anecdotal way， with stories rather than statistics。 Truly something I'd recommend to everyone， even as a starting point to understanding systemic and social racism。 。。。more

⋆ Stella ，

This was my first time reading any of Baldwin’s work and wow！ I think my favourite essay was ‘The Price of the Ticket’。 Although I definitely need to reread these essays again soon - so maybe my favourite will change。 I am definitely interested in reading more from him in the future - If anyone has recommendations that would be greatly appreciated:）

Kizanne James ，

Moving， sensitive and honest。 Sad to see not much has changed。。。

SB ，

i love the non-fiction of james baldwin more than his fiction。 so， three short essays included in this minibook are just sweet gifts for a fan like me。 baldwin gets into the scrutiny of heavily discriminated american lives through that familiar lens of socio-psychology。 i also love how he doesn't only diagnose what creates problems in black american lives， but he also explains what's wrong with the white american culture and their apathy for minorities。 i loved to read some of the personal accou i love the non-fiction of james baldwin more than his fiction。 so， three short essays included in this minibook are just sweet gifts for a fan like me。 baldwin gets into the scrutiny of heavily discriminated american lives through that familiar lens of socio-psychology。 i also love how he doesn't only diagnose what creates problems in black american lives， but he also explains what's wrong with the white american culture and their apathy for minorities。 i loved to read some of the personal accounts of baldwin which nourished his consciousness of sociological disparity in american culture which has still not been repaired and that has still been taken at face value。 this is yet another detailed and meticulous analysis of a diverse american culture that exposes the tyrannical history of oppression on one group of people by another。 and that's what makes this book of three important essays most valuable yet timeless。 。。。more

Eniola ，

Part of Penguin’s Modern Collection of think-pieces， essays and short stories， Dark Days see three essays from James Baldwins archive combined to create this small but impactful slice of the 50 book collection。A further insight into Baldwin’s state of mind and background， these three essays draws on his own lived experience of an America divided by race and prejudice。This is a very quick read， and good for those wanting to get to know James Baldwin beyond some of his more popular works。

Adam Dudley-Mallick ，

wow。。。 a collection of 3 short essays。 v insightful and v v powerful。 a lot to study here。。。

Phil ，

Excellent

Saleha Shah ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Absolutely blown away at the way James Baldwin writes。 The three essays in this book were so raw and powerful。 He navigates the experiences of racism that have been existing in the American society and how far it has come。 How there is little empathy and where prejudice still remains built upon years of enslavement。

Mollie Cohen ，

The last essay titled， 'The White Man's Guilt'， was the most poignant and relevant to me - especially in light of the BLM movement this year。 "One has only to ask oneself who established this distance， who is this distance designed to protect， and from what is this distance designed to offer protection？"This is a thought-provoking collection of short essays， all of which give insight into race in America and leave many routes of enquiry after reading。 For example， I now want to know more about t The last essay titled， 'The White Man's Guilt'， was the most poignant and relevant to me - especially in light of the BLM movement this year。 "One has only to ask oneself who established this distance， who is this distance designed to protect， and from what is this distance designed to offer protection？"This is a thought-provoking collection of short essays， all of which give insight into race in America and leave many routes of enquiry after reading。 For example， I now want to know more about the Harlem Resistance and listen to some of the musicians mentioned: Bessie Smith， Ethel Waters， Paul Robeson， Lena Horna， and Fats Waller。 I will definitely be adding more James Baldwin to my reading list for next year。 。。。more

Singrid ，

"History， as nearly no one seems to know， is not merely something to be read。 And it does not refer merely， or even principally， to the past。 On the contrary， the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us， are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways， and history is literally present in all that we do。" "History， as nearly no one seems to know， is not merely something to be read。 And it does not refer merely， or even principally， to the past。 On the contrary， the great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us， are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways， and history is literally present in all that we do。" 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dark Days

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dark Days&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dark Days&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0