... an audacious and improbable book by a remarkable man ... Relatively young, a short 20 years ago, the CNN anchor was almost unknown. How then, without seeming arrogant or pompous, does he place his life and his experience beside the best-known champions from the pantheon of Black freedom fighters? Invoking the zeal and courage of Dr King and Sojourner Truth, portraying even the proscribed accomplishments of Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen in the same light of heroic survival, his is a voice as essential for our time as Ta-Nehisi Coates and as compelling as Caroline Randall Williams ... Affectingly, he appeals to a growing fanbase by relating that success notwithstanding, his was a life as troubled as their own ... Ending, Lemon muses of how he and Tim speak of race, sometimes disagreeing but always finding their way home to the love they share. This gets us back to the book’s beginning. And that’s what makes this slight work so counterintuitive
... a forthright, historically supported examination of the racial divisions that have plagued our nation ... Much like his show, the book jumps around in both content and tone. Sections exploring deep American history suddenly give way to contemporary anecdotes ... Lemon is at his strongest when he turns his gaze backward, blending our nation’s history with his own ... It’s both direct in tone and obvious in content—the type of unsparing historical statement from an 'openly Black' news anchor likely to prompt some white viewers to clutch their pearls even as Black viewers look at one another and unemotionally remark, 'Yeah, we already knew that.'
Lemon opens the book with a letter to his nephew lamenting the way the world is and the need to fight complacency in the battle against racism. It’s an intimate, tender approach that has been used with more poignancy by Black intellectuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ta-Nehisi Coates, Imani Perry and Kiese Laymon ... Baldwin has become the iconic shorthand and barometer for Black ethos, his work and identity forming a fundamental part of our culture. Lemon’s attempt to associate his work with the brilliance of Baldwin can only come up short. This Is the Fire is not up to the task of extending Baldwin’s legacy or vision. Ultimately, Lemon leaves me wondering who he’s speaking to—who his friends are in his subtitle. They seem to be mainly White people. That’s not shade, but it was something that sat with me as I read ... This Is The Fire does all the right things: it taps into history, the present, the anger, the hope, the energy, the sickness, the people, the places, the familiar and the unfamiliar. But it leaves me wanting more.
Journalist Lemon...candidly reflects on history and the major events of 2020, beginning with a heartfelt letter to his nephew in the wake of George Floyd's murder, describing progress and pitfalls in racial equity since Jim Crow ... A thoughtful analysis which deserves a place on readers' anti-racist reading lists. Recommended for those interested in trying to enact systemic change.
... it is as a Black man that Lemon brings a searing power and persuasiveness to his arguments and views. In his eloquence and candor, Lemon is a lyrical and ardent advocate for what is decent, just, and long overdue. His dismay and anguish are laid bare with a fervor that is authentic and hard-won. Lemon’s call-to-action is a soaring examination of the causes of racist violence and injustice past and present, and he expresses his commitment to asking tough questions and seeking demanding answers that he hopes will kindle the fire this time to constructively confront racism in all its forms.
Readers who only know Lemon from his high-profile gig as a CNN anchor will be pleasantly surprised by his abundant prose skills ... Lemon strikes a nice balance between the personal and the political, sharing moments of his life with his fiance, Tim, and his family, dealt a severe blow by the death of his sister, Leisa. Throughout, the author demonstrates an impressive ability to loop it all together and make it stick. He puts 2020 in context and gives it the language to sing a quietly outraged song. Long on context and analysis, this is a vital book for these times.
CNN host Lemon...ruminates in this lyrical yet diffuse account on the legacy of white supremacy in America ... he meanders across well-trod ground, losing some of the thrust of his arguments. Readers will savor the well-honed language, but wish for stronger substance.
