Summary

In this chapter, Baldwin discusses the role models he looked up to as a child (the "heroes" of the chapter's title), and the ways in which these experiences formed the mental framework with which he later approached race. He writes of one of his schoolteachers, “It is certainly because of Bill Miller, who arrived in my terrifying life so soon, that I never really managed to hate white people.” (19). He explains the significance of “Bill” (Orilla) Miller, who introduced him to great writers and took him to plays, and her profound effect on what Baldwin describes as his “terrifying life” – a haunting phrase when used to describe the life of a young child (19).

Here, Baldwin begins in earnest to tackle the idea of representation in the media, specifically focusing on cinema, and the “hero” figure in the movies he grew up watching. Vivid...