Classics · ThoughtfulOn his fourteenth birthday, John Grimes faces his strict preacher stepfather and his Harlem storefront church
Go Tell It on the Mountain
A fourteen-year-old in Harlem and the family and church around him
John Grimes is an intelligent teenager in Harlem in 1935. On his fourteenth birthday, he navigates his troubled relationships with his family, including his stern stepfather Gabriel, a preacher, and with his storefront church. The main action takes place over one 24-hour period, with flashbacks that reveal the pasts of the adults around him and span more than 70 years. Alfred A. Knopf published it on May 18, 1953, as Baldwin's first published novel.
More about this book
Who
John Grimes, his stepfather Gabriel, his mother Elizabeth and his aunt Florence.
World
Harlem in 1935, with flashbacks to the Deep South and Maryland.
What makes it different
The main action covers one 24-hour period, and the flashbacks span more than 70 years.
Feel
Intense and reflective.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Go Tell It on the MountainWikipedia