The Fire This Time

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2016

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

“The Tradition” by Jericho Brown

Introduction by Jesmyn Ward

“Homegoing, AD” by Kima Jones

“The Weight” by Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah

“Lonely in America” by Wendy S. Walters

“Where Do We Go from Here?” by Isabel Wilkerson

“‘The Dear Pledges of Our Love’: A Defense of Phillis Wheatley’s Husband” by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

“White Rage” by Carol Anderson

“Cracking the Code” by Jesmyn Ward

“Queries of Unrest” by Clint Smith

“Blacker Than Thou” by Kevin Young

“Da Art of Storytellin’ (a Prequel)” by Kiese Laymon

“Black and Blue” by Garnette Cadogan

“The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning” by Claudia Rankine

“Know Your Rights!” by Emily Raboteau

“Composite Pops” by Mitchell S. Jackson

“Theories of Time and Space” by Natasha Trethewey

“This Far: Notes on Love and Revolution” by Daniel José Older

“Message to My Daughters” by Edwidge Danticat

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Essay Topics

The Fire This Time is dedicated to Trayvon Martin and other members of the African diaspora. Why is Martin such an important figure, according to the anthology’s authors? How do they describe him and the aftermath of his death?

Describe the influence of James Baldwin upon this anthology. How do his words, quoted in several pieces, speak to current events? Select at least three Baldwin quotes from three separate works in The Fire This Time to support your answer.

The theme of public grief emerges often in this anthology. What events provoke this grief? How do the authors express their despair and frustration in words and in action? How does grief unite people?