Review: The Fire Is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate Over Race in America

The Fire Is Upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate Over Race in America by Nicholas Buccola
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Focusing on James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. as the iconic leaders of different parts of American cultures, Buccola uses their literal public debate at the University of Cambridge as the fulcrum to explore the biographies and ideologies of these two very different men. He traces out the way that white supremacy has dominated the discourse of Buckley's work while Baldwin's sought out an anti-racist ideal wherein healing for both victims and perpetrators of racism could create an American Dream that did not come at the cost of African American freedoms and rights. Buccola moves back and forth between both men as he explores the differences in their upbringing, their intellectual challenges, and mentors, as well as their increasingly successful receptions by different parts of the US and global audiences. In tracking both men to the Cambridge debate, he then shows not just what happened at the debate in a play-by-play kind of sportscaster but also shows how for years to come after this event, the two continued to debate one another through their writings and in their minds. Finally, one thing I would note is that if one wants the most tangible experience of this, they should check out the audiobook which includes in its appendix, recordings from the actual debate. In total, this book brings home the complex conversations about racism and white supremacy within culture and politics in the mid-20th century US by providing this rich exploration of the two figures.

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