James Baldwin was an American writer born in 1924 in Harlem, New York. He grew up in poverty with his mother and eight siblings. Baldwin developed a passion for writing at a young age and served as a youth minister in his teens. Though the church shaped his life, he rejected Christianity at age 17. After high school, Baldwin took odd jobs to support his family instead of attending college. He explored themes of race, identity, and social issues in his influential writings.