The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Reissued Edition
Jan 2023 · Sold by Henry Holt and Company
star
1 review
Ebook
144
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
Playboy Best Nonfiction award for 1981
“To grapple with the pervasiveness of American racism, we can always turn to James Baldwin. You cannot help but admire his words in this volume as they remain as relevant today as when they first appeared.” —Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist
In his last book, Baldwin excavates American race relations to expose the hard-to-face, ingrained issues and demands that require a continuous, civic reckoning. With a new forward from Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams.
Over twenty-two months in 1979 and 1981 nearly two dozen children were unspeakably murdered in Atlanta despite national attention and outcry; they were all Black. James Baldwin investigated these murders, the Black administration in Atlanta, and Wayne Williams, the Black man tried for the crimes. Because there was only evidence to convict Williams for the murders of two men, the children's cases were closed, offering no justice to the families or the country. Baldwin's incisive analysis implicates the failures of integration as the guilt party, arguing, "There could be no more devastating proof of this assault than the slaughter of the children."
As Stacey Abrams writes in her foreword, "The humanity of black children, of black men and women, of black lives, has ever been a conundrum for America. Forty years on, Baldwin's writing reminds us that we have never resolved the core query: Do black lives matter? Unequivocally, the moral answer is yes, but James Baldwin refuses such rhetorical comfort."
“To grapple with the pervasiveness of American racism, we can always turn to James Baldwin. You cannot help but admire his words in this volume as they remain as relevant today as when they first appeared.” —Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist
In his last book, Baldwin excavates American race relations to expose the hard-to-face, ingrained issues and demands that require a continuous, civic reckoning. With a new forward from Fair Fight Action founder Stacey Abrams.
Over twenty-two months in 1979 and 1981 nearly two dozen children were unspeakably murdered in Atlanta despite national attention and outcry; they were all Black. James Baldwin investigated these murders, the Black administration in Atlanta, and Wayne Williams, the Black man tried for the crimes. Because there was only evidence to convict Williams for the murders of two men, the children's cases were closed, offering no justice to the families or the country. Baldwin's incisive analysis implicates the failures of integration as the guilt party, arguing, "There could be no more devastating proof of this assault than the slaughter of the children."
As Stacey Abrams writes in her foreword, "The humanity of black children, of black men and women, of black lives, has ever been a conundrum for America. Forty years on, Baldwin's writing reminds us that we have never resolved the core query: Do black lives matter? Unequivocally, the moral answer is yes, but James Baldwin refuses such rhetorical comfort."
Playboy Best Nonfiction award for 1981
“To grapple with the pervasiveness of American racism, we can always turn to James Baldwin. You cannot help but admire his words in this volume as they remain as relevant today as when they first appeared.” —Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
Dorethea
- Flag inappropriate
October 12, 2026
oyr histiry gave not ysll yo hide ebudrncebi. pndin fifht di ysllxNgetvtall jollie ifg wutj thangs ifvit us sbd nitcwhstcwaz pisbusz hig nit bis fog nit qjild wr eating oug tails iyr tha nsyiyrz addez ir tdying to veen seen witj th fummyas dEsi gurl ur gey back with th wjitebits wjo cksined to dtinks aingvhv vat all billsbin tgay dudte ir vyzzunname or pukardellbamf if arw wr all.trew nuwasys and wuth tvdy ii en.ktin ad bill.djitbif a brologidt if,a waftebofvyima s wrlrich yoyg hudtlets i. tga b
About the author
James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure in the growing civil rights movement. Baldwin spent much of his life in France, where he moved to escape the racism and homophobia of the United States. He died in France in 1987, a year after being made a Commander of the French Legion of Honor.
James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic. His first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain, appeared in 1953 to excellent reviews, and his essay collections Notes of a Native Son and The Fire Next Time were bestsellers that made him an influential figure ...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
