Just Above My Head (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: James Baldwin
- First Published: 1979
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Approximately 1950 to 1978
- Setting: New York City; the Deep South; Paris, France; and London, England
- Principal Characters: Hall Montana, Arthur Montana, Julia Miller, Joel Miller, Jimmy Miller, Alexander “Peanut” Theophilus Brown, Crunch Hogan
- Genres: Long fiction, Realism, Social realism
- Subjects: African Americans, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Gay men, Homosexuality or homosexuals, Twentieth century, New York City, Paris, Brothers, Singing or singers, London, Gospel music, Preaching
- Locales: Birmingham, AL, New York, NY, Paris, France, London, England
The Novel
Just Above My Head is narrated by Hall Montana and deals with his memories of his beloved brother Arthur as well as of friends and other relatives. There is a deliberate contrast between the life-styles and attitudes of the older generation of African Americans, consisting of the parents of Hall and Arthur Montana and Julia and Jimmy Miller, and those of the younger generation. Though still stigmatized by racial prejudice, the young people have better opportunities to achieve financial success and self-realization. Hall’s memoirs mainly concern the struggles...
[The entire page is 2657 words long]
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