James Baldwin authored the essays for this collection over six years, beginning in 1956. In the Introduction, Baldwin explains his decision to end his time in Europe. The writer compares his experiences in America to Paris. Although he felt trapped by the color of his skin in the United States, Europe brought freedom. Living in Paris allowed him to escape the racial identity forced upon him by his fellow Americans. Instead, he could focus his attention on becoming a writer.

As he began to examine his own identity, he realized that he could not fully separate it from the color of his skin or his status as an American: He must confront the identity that others have constructed for him. Baldwin asserts that the only life worth living is one of marked self-reflection and the willingness to examine and confront the world. He feels he must return to the United States to achieve this.

Baldwin also begins to see that the racial problems that pervade the United States are no less prominent in Europe: “Havens are high-priced. The price exacted of the haven-dweller is that he contrive to delude himself into believing that he has found a haven” (xii).