Baldwin's writing offers critiques of religion, culture, and discrimination, and in the witness of his life he holds up hope and the primacy of love despite all the difficulties of the present moment. In this passionate introduction, Garrett presents the life and work of Baldwin in all his writing genres, on themes of equity, justice, and reconciliation.

Garrett followed in Baldwin's footsteps--from New York City to the American South, from the cafes of St.-Germain in Paris to the mountains of Switzerland, where Baldwin did some of his most important thinking and writing. Garrett consulted critical and cultural studies, as well as archival materials from the recently-inaugurated Baldwin Collection at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Out of this close study of Baldwin's words and legacy, Garrett invites new readers and longtime lovers of the great Black writer into a thoughtful exploration of his continued relevance.

Greg Garrett is, according to BBC Radio, one of America's essential voices on religion and culture. His work has been featured in media ranging from National Public Radio and The New Statesman to FOX News and The National Review, from Christianity Today and The Christian Century to Playboy and Men's Health. Greg is co-founder and co-curator of the Long Long Way Film Festival at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, exploring racism and reconciliation through the lens of Hollywood film, and of Scene and Unseen, a similar program on race and film at Trinity Church, Wall Street. Professor of English at Baylor University, Greg has been a visiting fellow at Oxford University's Centre for Religion and Culture and serves each summer as Theologian in Residence at American Cathedral in Paris.