Go Tell it on the Mountain Baldwin James (2001)

James Baldwin’s electrifying first novel draws on his own boyhood in a religious community in 1930s Harlem, telling the story of young Johnny Grimes. Destined to become a preacher like his father, Gabriel, at the Temple of the Fire Baptized, Johnny feels only scalding hatred for Gabriel, whose fear and fanaticism lead him to abuse his family. Vowing that things will be different for him, Johnny’s journey unfolds in a blazing tale full of passion, guilt, secret sinners, and prayers singing on the wind. Baldwin’s prose is described as intensely powerful, capturing loneliness and desire with burning eloquence, making this novel a beautiful and enduring spiritual song.