Book Description
This year marks the centenary of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," James Weldon Johnson's most famous lyric, which is now embraced as the Negro National Anthem. In celebration, this Penguin original collects all the poems from Johnson's published works--Fifty Years and Other Poems (1917), God's Trombones (1927), and Saint Peter Relates an Incident of the Resurrection Day (1935)--along with a number of previously unpublished poems.

Sondra Kathryn Wilson, the foremost authority on Johnson and his work, provides an introduction that sheds light on Johnson's many achievements and his pioneering contributions to recording and celebrating the African American experience. ... Read more

Book Description
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912), James Weldon Johnson’s first book and the first modernist novel written by an African American, is a groundbreaking and subtle account of racial passing, initially published as an anonymous memoir. Its veracity—many believed it to be a genuine autobiography—has made it one of the undisputed masterpieces of African American literature and established Johnson in the African American literary vanguard of the first half of the twentieth century. He was also one of the central figures of the civil-rights struggle of his era, a tireless activist and longtime leader of the NAACP. Until now, however, his innovative and fascinating writings have never been gathered in a one-volume edition.

Johnson’s complex career spanned the worlds of diplomacy (as a U.S. consul in Venezuela and Nicaragua), politics (as secretary of the NAACP), journalism (as the founder of one newspaper and longtime editor of another), and musical theater (as lyricist for the Broadway song-writing team of Cole and Johnson Brothers). Writings presents a generous array of Johnson’s essays which, with the early work of W.E.B. Du Bois, established the foundation of twentieth- century African American literary criticism; a selection of his topical editorials from the New York Age; and an offering of his poems and lyrics, including God’s Trombones—a brilliant verse homage to African American preaching—vaudeville songs, protest poems, and perhaps Johnson’s most famous work, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a stirring hymn often called the “Negro National Anthem.” ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

James Weldon Johnson and the Library of America
For 25 years, the Library of America has been publishing uniform editions of America's great writers, documenting our country's achievements in literature, history, philosophy, government, and other forms of letters.It is a truly worthwhile project. The series covers the United States in all its diversity, and many of the finest volumes in the series deal with the African-American experience and with the Civil Rights movement in all their facets and complexities.The LOA's single-volume edition, published in 2004, of the works of James Weldon Johnson (1871 -- 1938) is an outstanding addition to the series and an essential work for understanding the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.More broadly, Johnson's writings areuniversal and will be of value for any reader interested in American literature.

Johnson had a varied career as a poet, novelist, essayist, editorial writer, diplomat, lawyer, educator, civil rights activist, and songwriter.His achievements in these fields are well-documented in this book.The LOA's anthology includes Johnson's famous novel of "passing", "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" (1912); Johnson's own autobiography, "Along this Way" (1933), a generous selection of poetry, including "God's Trombones" (1928), together with selections from Johnson's history of African-Americans inNew York City, "Black Manhattan" and selections from Johnson's essays and editorials.

The reader coming to Johnson for the first time might well begin with the poetry.Poetry and music seem to me Johnson's greatest loves and the source of his best accomplishments.Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing" written in 1900 is probably his best-known individual work and is commonly referred to as the "Negro National Anthem".Johnson's poem "Fifty Years: 1863 -1913" commemorates President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and is a moving commentary on the work that remains to be done to implement the vision of that document."God's Trombones" is Johnson's tribute to the African-American preacher with seven sermons in verse.There are many other poems in this volume for the reader to explore, many with African -American themes and many without them.

After reading the poetry, I suggest proceeding to Johnson's only novel, "The Autobiography of an ex-colored Man" published anonomously in 1912.Ths short novel is an exellent picture of race relations as they were at the time.But the book's themes are universal in character as Johnson depicts his troubled protagonist, buffeted by chance events, and lacking the degree of self-knowledge to find himself.

Johnson's essays and newspaper editorials give an idea of the breadth of his interests.Johnson fought passionately against the practice of lynching, as documented in many places including his essay "Lynching: A National Disgrace".Johnson compiled ground-breaking anthologies of Negro Spirituals and African-American poetry, and the introductions to the anthologies are included here.Johnson's "Black Manhattan" is offered only in excerpts but the selections here show black contributions to the Broadway stage in which Johnson himself and his brother, Rosamund, played leading roles.The selection also includes an excellent portrayal of the blues singer, Clara Smith, who today has, unfortunately, faded into obscurity. ( She is not to be confused with the more famous singer, Bessie Smith).

I would turn last in this volume to Johnson's autobiography, "Along this Way."This is a detailed work in which Johnson describes for the reader his childhood, his education, and his many and varied careers and writings.It is a great autobiography in its own right, and the reader will best appreciate it with an initial familiarity with Johnson's other writings.There are unforgettable moments in the book, and scenes of Johnson's relationships with other influential African-American leaders, including DuBois, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, and Booker T. Washington.

These books are full of reflections and insights on philosophical and literary subjects, together with Johnson's thoughts and efforts regarding race relations in the United States.Johnson emphasized the great achievements of African-Americans in creating the spirituals, in poetry, and in music -- particularly ragtime.He wanted African-Americans to be proud of their heritage and accomplishments, and he wanted his non-African-American readers to become aware of and to appreciate these accomplishments. Johnson was a writer of great gifts and broad themes. The Library of American has done a great service by making accessible this collection of his works.



... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (16)

Useful for HS coursework & for real life
Teaching this novel to 10th graders in Chicago has not been the easiest task but the storyline is the draw...that and my constant reminders that "This is the hardest book you will read all year...it's a book I read in college...If you can get through this book you can get through everything else we do this year!" And it's true...most students did well in the unit and the course which forces them to step outside their confort zone when looking and talking about the origins of race and racism.I use this in conjunction with RACE & MEMBERSHIP (by Facing History & Ourselves- collection of readings related to Eugenics Movement in USA) and with the film, "Imitation of Life" (the color version, not not the original black and white).Be mindful that it's high-end vocabulary as the author, like many Black writers of the day, sought to not only show that the main character wanted to impress those he came in contact with but that the author himself may have been trying to prove his own intelligence in writing the novel. James Weldon Johnson is best known for his song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" - the Black National Anthem.

worth the read
I am taking a class on Harlem renaissance literature and this was the first book assigned. It is easy to read and an enlightening story, the background information provided was interesting as well.

Johnson's Classic Novel of "Passing"
Many novels of the African-American experience in the United States use the theme of "passing". These novels generally involve a light-complexioned African-American who can "pass" for white.Among other things, novels based on a theme of "passing" allow the character and the author to comment upon black-white relationships in the United States from both sides -- from the black experience and from the white experience.

Both white and black authors have made extensive use of the theme of "passing".The earliest novel involving "passing" of which I am aware is by William Dean Howells in his short 1891 book, "An Imperative Duty" which dealt with an inter-racial marriage.The African-American novelist Nella Larsen wrote a novel titled "Passing" set in the Harlem Renaissance.More recently, Philip Roth's novel "The Human Stain" involves the story of Professor Coleman Silk, a distinguished academic and student of the classics who passes for many years as white.

Coleman Silk is the successor to the protagonist of James Weldon Johnson's only novel, "The Autobiography of an ex-colored Man" written in 1912.The unnamed protagonist of the book is an individual, like Roth's character Coleman Silk, with great intellectual and artistic gifts who is torn between the opportunities open to him as an, apparently, white person and his strong sense of black identity.Like Coleman Silk and the characters in most novels involving the theme of "passing", Johnson's protagonist marries a white woman and lives a life plagued with guilt regarding his abandonment of his heritage as an African-American. Johnson's short novel is, to my mind, the best written on the theme of "passing", and it is a fine novel indeed. The book initially was published anonymously.The writing is so powerful and believable that many readers took the book for a true autobiography until Johnson acknowledged his authorship in 1914.Many years later, Johnson wrote his own autobiography, titled "Along This Way" in part to show that the story of his own life was not the story of the protagonist in the "Autobiography".

Johnson's story shows how his protagonist goes back and forth, both internally and in the outward events of life, about whether to make his way in the white or in the black world.He ultimately finds himself successful but unhappy. In addition to the story line of the book, Johnson uses the "passing" theme to allow many reflective passages by characters in the book on racial relationships in the United States early in the 20th Century.The most famous such scene occurs as the protagonist travels in a "smoking car" for whites on a train in the segregated South.He participates in a discussion among several white men of varied backgrounds on the "race question" as it was viewed at the time.There is also a chilling scene in the book involving a lynching, the burning alive of a black person.Johnson worked fervently in the latter years of his life to secure the passage of anti-lynching legislation in Congress.

But Johnson's novel includes a great deal more than a consideration of race issues.The book offers an outstanding picture of life in early twentieth Century America -- in the South and in Johnson's beloved New York City.The book is filled with pictures of dives and gambling dens and of the trade of cigar making in both South and North.It is filled with the love of the piano and of classical music.Most strikingly, the book has the spirit and feel of ragtime, which reached the height of its popularity during the years in which the book appeared.Johnson shows great appreciation for this product of American culture.

The book also illustrates some universal themes.The protagonist is troubled, specifically, by the conflict between his identity as an African-American and his wish to succeed as a white person.But the broader themes of the book are the consequences of lack of self-knowledge, the role of chance in human life, and the consequences of a certain sense of purposelessness and frustration, which plague many individuals separately from any consideration of race.Johnson develops these themes eloquently and ties them in well with his theme of "passing".

Johnson's novel is an important work of American fiction which deserves to be read.

Wonderfully woven plot that holds your interest
I absolutely loved reading this book, and would eagerly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn of Johnson's America through the eyes of a man caught between two worlds. The sometimes humorous passages and vivid details held my interest and fueled my imagination. I have countless sections of the book underlined in red.

Though written years ago, it is highly relevant to life in America today, and the self-effacing nature ('invisibility') of the narrator makes it even more intriguing as you follow what goes on in the class and race-defined society through his eyes.

A short but captivating (one of my favorite autobios) 'must-read'.

Fantastic!
James Weldon creates a story line of unimaginable magnitude! This complex book makes the reader almost sympathetic for a character who may not deserve it! ... Read more

Amazon.com
With the possible exceptions of Dr. Alain Locke and W.E.B. Du Bois, no African American excelled on as many different levels as James Weldon Johnson. Along This Way--the first autobiography by a person of color to be reviewed in The New York Times--not only chronicles his life as an educator, lawyer, diplomat, newspaper editor, lyricist, poet, essayist, and political activist but also outlines the trials and triumphs of African Americans from post-Reconstruction to the rise and fall of the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Florida in 1871 to middle-class West Indian parents, Johnson recognized the challenges and absurdities of segregated America early on. But it was his experience as a tutor to rural blacks while a student at Atlanta University that was to alter the course of his life: "It was this period that marked the beginning of psychological change from boyhood to manhood," he writes. "It was this period that marked also the beginning of my knowledge of my own people as a race."

With a rare blend of pride and humility, Johnson recounts how he, among other accomplishments, became Florida's first black lawyer in 1898, a diplomat in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and lyricist for his brother Rosamond Johnson's famous song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Johnson's commentary on his epochal novel, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, as well as writings on his works of poetry--The Creation, God's Trombones, and Fifty Years and Other Poems--is priceless. Equally important are the logical and even-tempered opinions on race that he wrote for The New York Age, which offered comprehensive critiques of Du Bois, Booker T. Washington, and Marcus Garvey, along with his analysis of the racial climate while serving as head of the NAACP. This remarkable man left a mark on the 20th century that goes beyond the boundary of race. --Eugene Holley Jr. Book Description
The extraordinary life story of the famed black writer, poet, and Harlem activist, told in his own words

Here is, to quote the eminent historian Nathan Irvin Huggins, "one of the finest American autobiographies written in this century." Born in 1871 in Jacksonville, Florida, James Weldon Johnson began his career as a high school principal. He went on to attain success as a songwriter on Broadway and as the compiler of the definitive Book of American Negro Spirituals. But he achieved one of his greatest triumphs in 1912, when, under a pseudonym, he published The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man-a classic novel about a musician who rejects his black roots, a novel that is still in print today in no fewer than five paperback editions. Johnson was, from 1920 to 1930, the first African American head of the NAACP, fighting tirelessly for the passage of a federal anti-lynching law. His life story is that of a truly remarkable man who triumphed over a system of institutionalized racism to become one of black America's leading educators, men of letters, and reformers.

"It is difficult to imagine the Harlem Renaissance without James Weldon Johnson. It is impossible to understand the place of African Americans in the life of this country without Along This Way." (John Hope Franklin) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Shamefully Neglected Classic
One of the superb American autobiographies, and one of the great autobiographies of any period. After reading an example of this calibre it does not surprise me that I am rarely able to read biographies... second hand views, with some exceptions (Philip Horton's biography of Hart Crane, Frank Harris' of Oscar Wilde) are simply not sufficient....those exceptions being almost invariably written by men or women contemporaries who lived and loved in the same circle as their subject.
James Weldon Johnson was a great American, not just a great African American, and a master stylist. This book is a pleasure to read both for its countless wonderful episodes and for the inspiring way of its prosody. He is one of those writers who makes you feel that his wonderful style is an organic product of a graceful upbringing, it is classic and yet unmannered...or rather the manner, being the grace, is the man, all inseparable. There is an additional poignancy in the narrative, especially in the childhood portion, deriving from our knowledge that the nobility of his home education is a thing entirely vanished from the American scene. He went to school, but was also in every sense home schooled. See the autobiography of Kenneth Rexroth for a similar example..."The years as they pass keep revealing how the impressions made upon me as a child by my parents are constantly strengthening controls over my forms of habit, behavior, and conduct as a man." (Along the Way, p. 19, Penguin ed.)
This is certainly one of the best examples of Childhood Autobiography in the World Literature of any age. It should at the very least be required reading in AP English for Black History Month. The very highest endorsement.

Johnson's"Along this Way"
James Weldon Johnson (1871 -1938) was the closest American approximation possible to a Renaissance man. He is best-known for writing the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice and Sing",considered the "African-American National Anthem." He was a poet, the author of "God's Trombones" among much else (including the poem "Fifty Years" still one of the best meditations on Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation) and of the famous novel "The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man" (1912).But Johnson was much more. He served several tumultuous years in diplomatic service as American counsul to Venezuela and Nicaragua.With his brother, Rosamund, and Bob Cole, he formed part of a famed and highly-successful black songwriting and Vaudeville team in the early years of the Twentieth Century.Johnson founded the first African-American high school in his home town of Jacksonville, Florida and, almost in passing, he became the first African-American admitted to the Florida bar without attending Law School (by reading law and passing a treacherous oral examination.) Johnson was a newspaper editor and a founder of the NAACP where he took an active role in litigating against laws restricting the voting rights of African-Americans, and, in particular, worked tirelessly in support of Federal anti-lynching legislation.In the final decade of his life, Johnson taught creative writing and American literature at several universities and lived, for a time, the life of contemplation and reflection that he said had been his lifelong goal.

Johnson lived an inspiring life. And in his autobiography, "Along this Way" (1933) he allows the reader to share in much of it.The autobiography is a lengthy and detailed work in which Johnson not only tells the story of his life, but he also describes a good deal of African-American history in the South, where he grew up, and in the rest of the United States during the pivotal half-century following reconstruction.We can see in Johnson's story, for example, how segregation and Jim Crow gradually but forcefully came to pervade the Southern States in the late 19th and early 20th century.Johnson also gives vibrant descriptions of life in New York City, of the growth of Harlem, and of African-American singers, actors and entertainers on Broadway -- in which he himself played a prominent role.There are chilling descriptions of lynching and of Johnson's efforts to bring this barbaric practice to an end. One of the more memorable scenes of Johnson's personal life in the book is a description of how he himself was almost lynched when he was observed talking alone to a light-skinned woman in a public park in Jacksonville. (His would-be attackers thought the woman was white.)

The book is divided into four main sections, with the first describing Johnson's childhood and education at Atlanta University.Part two presents a picture of New York City and Johnson's efforts as a songwriter.Part three focuses on Johnsons counsular work in Latin America while Part four discusses Johnson's work with the NAACP.But these are only the broadest, bare-bones descriptions of an extraordinary life.Johnson combines his discussion of his public life with insightful comments on most of his writings, including his poetry, novel, his history "Black Manhattan" and his work as an anthologizer of African-American poetry and of Spirituals.

There are moments in the book when I wanted to know more of Johnson's inner life.He tells us, for example, of his courtship of and marriage to Grace Nail but, with the exception of some discussion of her reactions to Johnson's diplomatic posts, we see little of her in the book.Johnson is reticent, in common with most writers of autobiography, in letting us see too deeply beyond the public figure.But at the end of the book, he offers the reader some broad reflections, centering upon his agnosticism and of his hopes and ambitions for humanity.

Johnson's life focused upon his efforts to secure the rights of black people in the United States, but his life, work, and writings were universal in theme. In "Along this Way" he gives us the story of a life both active and reflective. His book is a precious work of American literature.

A True Classic!!!
I purchased this book several years back, as part of the research for my second book. I cannot recommend any book more highly. Anyone interested at all in African American life from the 1880s to the 1930s (particularly as it was lived in New York City from about 1899 to the Harlem Renaissance) should buy it. There is not a more fascinating autobiography in print anywhere! And the life of this man! He was the founder of the first high school for African Americans in the state of Florida, located in Jacksonville (the high school my own mother would attend); the first African American to pass the bar exam in the state of Florida; part of the first successful African American Broadway composing team (after he left Jacksonville and moved to New York City); composer of the lyrics to, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the song long considered the African American national anthem (his brother Rosamond composed the music); a consulate in Nicaragua and Venezuela; the first executive secretary of the NAACP, in which capacity he pioneered anti-lynching legislation (though he was unsuccessful in seeing it pass, the effort is described in the book, and is a fascinating lesson in the machinations of Congressional politics in the 1920s); author of groundbreaking fiction such as, "The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man"; author of the nonfiction classic, "Black Manhattan." The list goes on... His accomplishments, his dignity and intelligence were stunning, simply awe inspiring. And it is a real shame, an indication of how troubled our culture is, that Hollywood has never made a movie about his life, and he is barely mentioned as a key figure who shaped American culture (notice I didn't say African American culture, I said AMERICAN CULTURE). To everyone reading this review, BUY THIS BOOK. You are in for an experience so delicious it will shame you if you never before knew it existed. It will make you want to call for the resignation of all college professors who do not have "Along This Way" as REQUIRED READING for any course designed to examine the history of American culture. ... Read more

Book Description
This vivid and startlingly new picture of conditions brought about by the race question in the United States makes no special plea for the Negro, but shows in a dispassionate, though sympathetic, manner conditions as they actually exist between the whites and blacks to-day. Special pleas have already been made for and against the Negro in hundreds of books, but in these books either his virtues or his vices have been exaggerated. This is because writers, in nearly every instance, have treated the colored American as a whole; each has taken some one group of the race to prove his case. Not before has a composite and proportionate presentation of the entire race, embracing all of its various groups and elements, showing their relations with each other and to the whites, been made. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

The Hope of God's Trombones
God's Trombones is a beautiful expression of the themes of the Southern black experience and God's constant, personal presence in their lives.The themes he chose were expressed in sermons and in Gospel music.For the black person, God was aware of their struggles, would bring them out of "Egypt" (slavery) and would eventually take them to their home "over Jordan".Death would be a gentle freedom for those who were weary (as in "Go down Death").

Johnson's introduction explains that he was trying to express the fervant Southern black preacher with his pauses and emphases.He has done both well.

This is a book to be read for its beauty and inspiration, but more important, it shows (theological inaccuracies aside) how an oppressed people trusted in God's gentle hand, and God's constant love for even the "least" of his Creation.

I recommend this for historians, teachers, lovers of poetry, and for its spiritual content, anyone seeking inspiration.

Just Wonderful
My dad teaches Sunday School and was looking for this book to incorporate into his lesson plans. I found it here at Amazon and fell in love with this book. Absolutely wonderful to read and very profound. Exceptional!

Historical Preservation - Community Backbone
The title says it all: "Trombones" represents the preservation of the history of the community backbone of prayer, persistence, and strength. The poetry gives some insight to the suffering of the elders, and speaks to the continuing fight for the full parity of the AfricanAmerican community in a country that was literally built upon the bleeding, sweaty backs of my ancestors.

Amazon is to be commended for participating in this historical preservation of a works that I would recommend as mandatory reading for generations to come - regardless of religion, gender, or color.

God's Trombones:Poems That Galvanize the Soul
My soul is galvanized everytime I hear or read James Weldon Johnson's God's Trombones.I have directed student perfomances of this deeply moving African American text. "The Crucifixion," for example, tells the story of how Jesus Christ, my Lord, my Savior,my Friend, suffered death on an old cross so that I might have an opportunity to be more sensitive to the hurting. The "Prodigal Son" urges me to experience and, thus understand, that I must live with a redemptive consiousness. And, of course, I am compelled to understand, through the poem "Go Down Death" this reality: God does call His children home. Those who have suffered "long in the vineyard" are deserving of rest. For sure, God's Trombones is a poetic tribute to an experience that is Christian and African American.I thank James Welson Johnson for creating this poetic masterpiece. Let'scontinue to read it; let's perform it. Let's live within the context of the spirituality of the voice.Amen!

Unfamiliar Harmony
While James Weldon Johnson's theology is not always orthodox ("God thought and thought" - who could put a new thought in God's mind? unless it was God and, then, God would not be God - this insight compliments of E.V. Hill in his sermon "When Was God At His Best?"), JWJ's poetry and, especially, his Preface displays the harmonious beauty of a long tradition of African American preaching not generally known or appreciated outside of African American circles.If one really wants to become familiar with and, indeed, edified by the godly reaching of E.V. Hill (now deceased), Fred Luter, Tony Evans, Robert Smith and a host of unknowns who preach with substance and, sometimes, in the "whoop"ing style, then, Weldon's book is a must read.May Christianity never lose what God has brought forth in a substantial style which stirs heart, mind and soul. ... Read more

Product Description
Chosen and Edited With an Essay on the Negro’s Creative Genius ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of James Weldon Johnson, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 4244 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (1)

Not the *real* The Creation book by Johnson
I thought I was ordering "The Creation" book by James Weldon Johnson. While this book does use his creation poem, the difference in the title should have clued me to something amiss. The words are similar, but the artwork by James Ransome in the *real* book reflect the African American heritage of James Weldon Johnson. The photos in this book are good, but I don't sense Johnson's pride in his race coming through. "The Creation" poem is verse one of "God's Trombones." I have re-ordered both "The Creation" and "God's Trombones" for myself. ... Read more

Book Description
This collection of writings offers a glimpse into the minds of three N.A.A.C.P. leaders who occupied the center of black thought and action during some of the most troublesome and pivotal times of the civil rights movement. The volume delineates fifty-seven years of the N.A.A.C.P.'s program under the successive direction of James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins. These writings illustrate the vital roles of these three leaders in building a peoples liberation, underscoring not only their progressive influence throughout their time in power, but also a vision of the future as race relations enter the 21st Century. Much of the material, notably "The Secretary's Reports to the Board," is published here for the first time, offering an invaluable resource for those seeking a deeper knowledge of the history of race in America ... Read more