Just above my head

James Baldwin first wrote about homosexuality in his famous early novel, Giovanni s Room.

Here he brings homosexuality and race together in the story of the great gospel singer Arthur Montana.

Arthur was found dead in the basement of a London pub at the age of thirty-nine, yet he lies on in this memoir.

Written by Hall, his brother and manager, it is in part a subtle and moving study of the treacherous ebb and flow of memory.

Set against a vividly drawn background of the civil rights movement of the sixties, Just Above My Head explores how Arthur discovers his love for Jimmy - 'with his smile like a lantern and a voice like Saturday nights - and portrays how profoundly racial politics can shape the private business of love.