Austen: Timeless Pages: Begin Again with Jane Austen Austen: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." James Baldwin’s words cut to the heart of our topic. Welcome to Timeless Pages. I am Jane Austen, exploring Eddie Glaude Jr.'s "Begin Again." Austen: Mr. Glaude's book examines James Baldwin's sharp insights into America's enduring struggles with race, arguing his mid-century critiques remain painfully relevant today. The setting is America's troubled conscience, past and present. Mr. Glaude uses Baldwin's life and writings, from his time abroad witnessing the Civil Rights movement unfold, to guide us through the nation's refusal to honestly confront its history of racial injustice, urging a difficult reckoning to truly begin anew. Austen: The most striking theme is what Mr. Glaude, through Baldwin, calls the 'American Lie'. This is a stubborn refusal to see the deep wounds left by slavery and systemic racism. Baldwin saw this not as mere oversight, but a core myth allowing celebrations of liberty while ignoring harsh realities. Writing during the Civil Rights era, Baldwin saw how romanticized histories actively undermined truth; he insisted facing this painful past was a moral duty. Does this not persist? Consider today's fierce debates over teaching history, a reluctance mirroring Baldwin's time, proving how the past undeniably shapes present injustice. Austen: Why should this book concern us now? Its claim to classic status lies in its demand for a necessary, uncomfortable conversation about America's contradictions. It forces us to look beyond comforting myths. Here is a curious modern parallel: think of how people carefully craft online profiles, showing idealized lives while hiding complexities. Is this not a small-scale version of the 'American Lie' Baldwin exposed – preferring pleasing stories over difficult truths? This book insists we examine the unvarnished reality, much like observing society compels us to examine our own assumptions. Austen: Mr. Baldwin, illuminated by Mr. Glaude, leaves us with the weight of responsibility. To face the past, dismantle the lies, and perhaps, finally, begin the hard work of building something truer. A sobering, yet hopeful, charge indeed.