Structure

Begin Again is divided into nine titled sections: an introduction, "Thinking with Jimmy," Chapter 1: "The Lie," Chapter 2: "Witness," Chapter 3: "The Dangerous Road," Chapter 4: "The Reckoning," Chapter 5: "Elsewhere," Chapter 6: "Ruins," Chapter 7: "Begin Again," and the conclusion, "A New America." Attuning oneself to these headings allows a fluid reading experience, as the titles capture the central thematic interests of each section's pages. Glaude uses this overarching framework to guide his reader through a complex examination not only of James Baldwin's America, but of today's American society. In the introduction, Glaude acknowledges that "this is a strange book. It isn't biography...it is not literary criticism...it is not straightforward history" (xviii). Rather, Begin Again is a nuanced combination of all three genres. Glaude marries these seemingly disparate nonfictional forms in order to find meaning and relevance in Baldwin's work for contemporary American citizens.

Each chapter follows a similar pattern...