When he died on 1 December 1987, James Baldwin was remembered as a prophet who addressed the causes and results of racial conflict. He spent his entire literary career writing essays, speeches, stories, two plays, and six novels about the inherent untruth of life in this democratic United States and how its citizens ultimately mirror that dishonesty in their lives. Baldwin often said that few were willing to pay the price of the ticket; few were willing to suffer the consequences of being honest.

Despite his fame as an essayist, Baldwin viewed himself as a novelist. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, was published in 1953 to generally positive reviews. Coming on the heels of Ralph Ellison's acclaimed Invisible Man (1952), Baldwin's novel seemed to herald a new era in American fiction. In 1986 it was adapted for television by the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Giovanni's Room (1956) and Another Country...