“People who cannot suffer can never grow up, can never discover who they are. That man who is forced each day to snatch his manhood, his identity, out of the fire of human cruelty that rages to destroy it knows, if he survives his effort, and even if he does not survive it, something about himself and human life that no school on earth – and, indeed, no church – can teach. He achieves his own authority, and that is unshakable. […] It demands great spiritual resistance not to hate the hater whose foot is on your neck, and an even greater miracle of perception and charity not to teach your child to hate.” (98-99)

James Baldwin passed away from this earth on November 30, 1987, 23 years ago. This would be a great launch date for our ebook. We will use Scribd.com as I have in the past with another student ebook SPEAK!

We return to our readings next week, the week of Nov 8th. Start reading James Baldwin’s book THE FIRE NEXT TIME if you did not as I requested earlier this term. Discussion starts on Thu Nov 11.

Be sure you have purchased it this weekend OR if you have an iPhone, iPod, Android, or Blackberry download the audiobook of, THE FIRE NEXT TIME on iTunes.

If you have never submitted a draft to me, do this NOW! So I can give you feedback by Tue.