''The story of the negro in America is the story of America ... it is not a very pretty story''

James Baldwin''s breakthrough essay collection made him the voice of his generation. Ranging over Harlem in the 1940s, movies, novels, his preacher father and his experiences of Paris, they capture the complexity of black life at the dawn of the civil rights movement with effervescent wit and prophetic wisdom.

''A classic ... In a divided America, James Baldwin''s fiery critiques reverberate anew'' Washington Post

''Edgy and provocative, entertainingly satirical'' Robert McCrum, Guardian

''Cemented his reputation as a cultural seer ... Notes of a Native Son endures as his defining work, and his greatest'' Time