James Baldwin's impact on the American consciousness was twofold: as an author, his accounts of his experiences struck a cord with his readers; as an activist, his vision and abilities helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement. A gifted writer, he began his career immersed in artistic expression for the pleasure it offered. By the 1960s, however, he began to pen influential political essays, and by the end of his life he had evolved into one of the twentieth century's most politically charged writers decrying racism in all of its ugly forms.

Born in Harlem to a single mother who was a factory worker, James Baldwin was the first of nine children. Soon after his birth his mother married a clergyman, David Baldwin, who influenced the young James and encouraged him to read and write. He began his career as a storefront preacher while still...