The Fire This Time

The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race

• Genre: Nonfiction; social commentary anthology
• Originally Published: 2016
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1230L; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 18 essays and poems with introduction; approximately 240 pages; approximately 5 hours, 30 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: Inspired by James Baldwin’s 1963 examination of race in America entitled The Fire Next Time, Jesmyn Ward gathers a collection of essays and poems by contemporary writers, reflecting on the past, present, and future of Black life in America. Addressing issues such as racial violence, the legacy of slavery, and the Black Lives Matter movement, the anthology provides a powerful commentary on the challenges faced by Black Americans and offers visions of hope for the future.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Discussions of racial discrimination, violence, trauma, and systemic oppression; raw and emotional accounts of personal experiences related to race; use of the n-word

Jesmyn Ward, Editor

• Bio: Born 1977; American novelist and educator; two-time National Book Award winner; known for her powerful prose and exploration of the Black experience, especially in the American South
• Other Works: Salvage the Bones (2011); Men We Reaped (2013); Sing, Unburied, Sing (2017)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Remembrance and Recognition
• Grief: A Private Pain, A Public Protest
• Finding Hope in Heritage

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Consider Jesmyn Ward’s intention in creating this anthology and explore the ways in which the personal and political intersect to foster progress and change.
• Study paired texts and other resources to make connections to the text’s themes of Remembrance and Recognition; Grief: A Private Pain, A Public Protest; and Finding Hope in Heritage.
• Research a voice represented in The Fire This Time and evaluate that figure’s history, influence, and work to deepen understanding of the text’s messages and themes.
• Analyze and evaluate the text’s theme, narrative structure, symbolism, and other literary elements to draw conclusions in structured essays regarding grief, legacy and inheritance, activism, and hope and renewal.