I must admit this is a strange book.
-- Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (Introduction)

Importance: In the introduction of Begin Again, Glaude attempts to define the genre of his text. Because the work does not fit inside one neat nonfictional genre, he must explain the multiplicity of his thematic interests. The strangeness of the text lies in its refusal to abide by a linear narrative unfolding. By acknowledging the atypical structure of the work in his early pages, Glaude prepares his reader for the chapters to come. His resistance to abiding by an easily identifiable form illustrates his work to dismantle the scaffolding of the American lie in order to propose a new national future.

That lie is the basis of our present trouble.
-- James Baldwin (chapter 1)

Importance: The author quotes Baldwin's essay "The White Problem" in Chapter 1 in order to explain his understanding of the American lie. By looking to Baldwin's writing, Glaude illuminates the darker histories of American culture...