 First edition cover | |
| Author | Nicholas Boggs |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | August 19, 2025 |
| ISBN | 978-0-374-17871-0 |
Baldwin: A Love Story is a 2025 biography of James Baldwin written by Nicholas Boggs. It received positive feedback from critics.
The book is structured as a "Love Story" in four parts. The first part explores Baldwin's youth and relationship with Beauford Delaney. The second part is named after Lucien Happersberger and deals with the early stages of Baldwin's career. The third part, named after Engin Cezzar, follows the mid-stage, while the final section is named after Yoran Cazac and describes the final years of Baldwin's life.
The book was published in the United States by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on August 19, 2025. [1]
Charles Blow, writing in The New York Times , praised the book's comprehension and Boggs' willingness to explore Baldwin's queer identity. [2] The Los Angeles Times described the book as being "lively and vigorously researched," while The Boston Globe wrote that "Boggs comes about as close as anyone has to wrapping his arms around Baldwin." [3] [4] In a review written for The New Yorker , Louis Menand praised the book for being multi-faceted and acknowledging Baldwin's politics in their entirety. [5]
The Nation noted the "difficult task" of reconciling Baldwin's private and public lives and praised Boggs for tracing "the centrality of love" through Baldwin's work. [6] Commonweal, meanwhile, criticized that framing and Boggs' perceived tendency to explain away "questionable" behavior from Baldwin. [7] The Washington Independent Review of Books described the biography as "superb" and Smithsonian called it "complete." [8]
Shelf Awareness described the book as having "immense scope and profound insight" in a positive review. [9] Both Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly published starred reviews, with the former praising the book's organization and the latter offering praise for Boggs' research and interview process. [1] [10] Booklist also published a starred review. [11]
The book was a finalist for the 2025 Kirkus Prize. [1]