No Name in the Street

Nonfiction | Essay Collection | Adult | Published in 1972

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Study Guide

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Pages 1-50

Part 1, Pages 51-81

Part 2, Pages 85-149

Part 2, Pages 150-194

Epilogue

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools Beta

Discussion Questions

EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses

Epilogue Summary

Baldwin states that the book’s publication was delayed due to the turbulent historical events of the period. The crisis in American society is part of a wider crisis that is going to continue. The old world is in decline, but a new one is about to emerge.

Baldwin notes that the book remains unfinished because he is still awaiting news about the fate of his imprisoned friend. He anticipates that time will reveal the results of this history. Even if violence and struggle continue around the world, the dominance of the Western civilization has ended. Black Power leaders like Angela Davis are still under attack. He ends with a religious reference, saying that the Virgin Mary must “embrace the despised black mother” (197).

Epilogue Analysis

The Epilogue demonstrates that the book is embedded in its historical and social context. The narrative is marked by the turmoil of the period, the civil rights movement, and the racial violence that cost Baldwin’s friends their lives. Simultaneously, Baldwin offers insights about the world’s history and future, connecting the social crisis in America to The Crisis and Demise of Western Culture. Writing in the 1960s and early 1970s, Baldwin argues that this crisis will continue.