Baldwin was born in Harlem and spent much of his youth looking after his many younger siblings. He was a keen reader and read every book he could find except the Bible, because that was the one he was told to read. At 12, he wrote a story that was accepted for publication in a
church newspaper, but was then censored. He also wrote songs, plays, and poetry. His father disapproved of his writing and wanted him to become a preacher, which he did between the ages of 14 and 17, before leaving home. Baldwin wrote two books in his early 20s for which he received fellowships, but which were deemed “unsalable.” At 24, he moved to France and finished the novel
Go Tell It on the Mountain.