Rating: 
Summary: Go Tell it on the Mountain
Review: James Baldwin's novel is very interesting and unique. The main character, John Grimes, lives in Harlem New York with his mother, father, brother, and sisters. Gabriel, John's father, is a preacher at the family's church, and religion comes up various times through out the novel. The focus is on problems brought up between John and who he thought was his father. Elizabeth, John's mother, became pregnant with John before she met Gabriel, and her lover died before she had time to tell him her condition. When Gabriel and Elizabeth got married, Gabriel promised that he would treat John as if he were his own son. Sadly enough, Gabriel did not keep his word and treated John harshly. Gabriel tended to favor his biological son Roy throughout the novel and this brought up issues as well. The novel journeys thorough the sinful pasts of the characters and John deals with his stepfather as best as he can trying to make the best of life. Above all, the novel was very interesting to read and I would recommend it for any readers looking for a book based on family, religious, and racist dilemmas.
Rating: 
Summary: The Door to Baldwin
Review: Ok, I'll quickly comment on some previous reviewer's comments in order to frame my view of this book. First of all, I agree with some of the others that if you have little faith, then this book may not be for you. However, if you have read Malcolm X's autobiography or any other african-american novels than you will absolutely love this one. Being fond of poetry will also help. So much of this book could be considered great poetry even outside of it's story-context. This is the "door" to Baldwin for me, and I have read "Blues For Mister Charlie" and will be reading the rest of his books soon, I have already purchased a few of them. If I had to make a "level-comparison" of how high I would rate him I would say he is similar to Jack Kerouac in how he makes you truly "FEEL" the character's emotions and really draws you into the story. Try not to mis-read this review. I am not saying that Jack and James write similar novels...I am just saying that I rank them both at the top. As far as having to know the St. James Bible, I would say that you really don't need to know much about it to appreciate or understand this book as long as you're well-educated.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Strong Stuff
Review: The members of the family in James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain suffer because of their color, their poverty, and the conflicts and disappointments that are part of any life. Most of all they suffer because of the demands that their intense, dogmatic religion places on them. While they love and fear God, they have little appreciation for God's creation. For them, everyone and everything in this world is carnal and corrupt. They aspire to an otherworldly existence but their nature leads them to defy God and suffer terrible guilt. They think and speak in the language of fundamentalist Christian religion: "witness," "wandering," "wilderness," "wickedness." In James Baldwin's hands, this language is beautiful but it's disturbing, too, and this short novel will not be forgotten easily.
Rating: 
Summary: Complex issues presented masterfully by Baldwin
Review: I read this book as part of an English "Out of Class" reading assignment. I must say that if you are looking for a light hearted book- this is not it. It is filled with intense themes of racial relations, family relations, hypocrisy, and the like. I found the style of using flashbacks somewhat annoying at times and consequently, the plot was at times confusing. If you disire complex issues to be presented in a reasonably entertaining fashion, then this is the book for you, but beware if you desire a book of easy reading. Baldwin's skill in handling the situations is quite noticable and makes the whole experience worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Really good
Review: For a first novel- this is an outstanding piece of work. I watched a PBS special on Baldwin & then went to the library (how marketing works!) He was a novelist I was familiar with but had never read. The lyricism in this book is great- very poetic and descriptive (like when John talks about sweeping the rug, only to have the dust return). I tend to hate religious overtones in books because I hate religion, esp Christianity, but I could deal with it in this book because it was so well written. I do agree that all the religion in the middle of the book weighed it down considerably (much like it did in THE CHOSEN) but I recommend this and I'm eager to read other Baldwin works!
Rating:
Summary: Redemption, Flaws and All
Review: The great truth of the Christian faith is that you are accepted just as you are... flaws and all.
Many of the great narratives in the bible include flawed but teachable people. From: Adam to Abraham to Jacob to King David, God inspired the writing of these accounts to show us he uses people just as they are and he does the work not us.
This is just the case in James Baldwin's story, Go Tell it on the Mountain.
The main character is John, a young boy just turned 14 struggling to develop his identity and to get to know God.
During the course of the story we see his family history revealed and get to know the truth that his mother and step father are very imperfect people but redeemed nonetheless.
That is what John must come to terms with. Baldwin's rendering of this internal spiritual stuggle is masterful.
The way that Baldwin reveals the truth of the family little by little is extremely well done. This story is short and packed with punch. It is a moving and thought provoking book.
Rating:
Summary: Explosive Ending
Review: It definitly helps to do some bible pre-reading before reading this book. I was assigned to it for class and never would have read it otherwise. However, the ending made the rest of the book worthwhile. The main character, John, finds God. I did some research on James Baldwin and found that this book is largely autobiographical. I think the author may have actually experienced a "calling to God" as John did, because it was wrote so incredibly well that you could imagine and feel John's feelings as if you were feeling them yourself. Many parts were religious tangents that didn't grab my attention, but for the most part, the book gave me an incredible inspirational feeling.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was ok
Review: My first thought when I saw this book I thought it was going to be good. Then I was assigned to read it for class and I hated it. This book was so boring and had absolutely no point to it. It was really repetitive and blah. The author is a good author, but I'd have to say this wasn't one of his best pieces. I would never force anyone to read this book, nor would I ever recommend it. I absolutely hate reading, but when I've found a good book I like reading. The most boring parts were when everyone was praying and reminiscing their childhoods. I disliked the majority of the book, but the very beginning was iffy. The author could've used a little bit more detail in certain places and less in others. By him using too much detail he made the book really boring. On the other hand, I did actually enjoy reading it a tad bit. This book kept me occupied yet bored. I hope I never have to read this book again. I think if I did I'd probably pass. I don't think any teacher or professor should ever give this book for their pupils to read. If someone asked me if I liked this book and should they read it I would say no. This book is more for an African-American church-going crowd. It really isn't for children because they wouldn't really understand what was going on, because there are words that they wouldn't be able to understand.
Rating:
Summary: Black church affects Black community, for better and worse
Review: Jesus said, "A man's enemies will be the members of his own household" (Matthew 10:36), and "No prophet is accepted in his hometown" (Luke 4:24). This idea certainly plays out in the Grimes family of James Baldwin's "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (1952). Except for John's mother Elizabeth, the adult Grimeses have no idea that love, familial love, is supposed to include favor (not favoritism like the father Gabriel's), the idea of blessing each other with good words, good will, and heartfelt affection. Unfortunately, the novel's Black Christians' idea of goodness and holiness is colored by the master's idea of a good slave: docile, acquiescent, submissive, silent in the face of abuse, always needing to prove your worth. "Blessed Assurance" isn't one of their songs. "Go Tell" presents not only the story of John's 14th birthday, but the past stories of Elizabeth, Gabriel, and Aunt Florence. Whereas Gabriel's spiritual journey--if you can call it that--at about age 21 is born of desperation and remorse after much self-abuse and self-indulgence, John's spiritual journey on his 14th birthday is one of insight and refuge after much abuse and neglect. Gabriel indulges and denies his dark side, projecting his evil onto others. John wonders over his own evil thoughts, seeking to reconcile his light and dark sides. John's family and people have been cursed by the white-oriented world, and by a false interpretation of the scripture, namely the curse of Noah upon Canaan. Believing this curse, Gabriel in turn, without meaning to, curses his children. Will any of the Grimes family truly experience being, like Israel, heirs to the promises of God, as well as heirs to the world's persecution and heartache?
John perceives that Gabriel, or some unacknowledged dark part of Gabriel, would rather see him damned than saved, would rather keep John as a bastard child, "son of the slave woman", as someone to look down upon--similar to the cutting attitude that Gabriel and his sister Florence have toward each other. However, John, born in New York City, a generation removed from Jim Crow, just might become the first person in his family to start to throw off the reproach of Egypt (see Joshua 5:9)--that is, of slavery. That is, if his anger and hatred don't overtake him first. "Go Tell" is an excellent exploration of how the "Black church" has both upheld and held back African-Americans through slavery, Jim Crow, the Northern migration, and racism.
Rating:
Summary: Revisery Warning
Review: Like others have mentioned, this book was over-written and the prose was too lyrical. Some of the descriptive passages and religious mumbo-jumbo were very tiring to get through, and it stalled the little action the novel did have. And in the end, there was a lot Baldwin set up in terms of plot that was left wide open. Especially The Letter (when you read this you'll know what I mean). Why did Baldwin dedicate so much character dialogue to the letter, leading readers to believe the revelation of it would resolve the story, then end things before it was revealed??? WAS it even revealed?This could've easily been a novella, and a good one, if he had revised the manuscript better.
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