When I received my reviewer’s advanced copy of Nicholas Boggs’ epic biography of James Baldwin, “Baldwin: A Love Story,” several months in advance of the Aug. 19 publication date, I was determined to have my review prepared at the time of the book’s arrival.

Somewhere on this page, the date will reveal that I’m a month late, and it’s the book’s fault because I’ve been reading it for over five months and only just finished it.

“Baldwin: A Love Story” is not the first Baldwin biography by any means, but it rests on a particularly ingenious and fruitful framing, the story of James Baldwin’s life as told through the lens of his relationships, the people to whom he gave his heart.

At times, the posthumous image of Baldwin threatens to turn him into a kind of resistance politics mascot, as cl

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