<Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 24659110 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> LC Class </Th> <Td> PS3552 . A5 G6 </Td> </Tr> <P> Go Tell It on the Mountain is a 1953 semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin . It tells the story of John Grimes, an intelligent teenager in 1930s Harlem, and his relationship to his family and his church . The novel also reveals the back stories of John's mother, his biological father, and his violent, religious fanatic step - father, Gabriel Grimes . The novel focuses on the role of the Pentecostal Church in the lives of African - Americans, as a negative source of repression and moral hypocrisy and also as a positive source of inspiration and community . In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Go Tell It on the Mountain 39th on its list of the 100 best English - language novels of the 20th century . Time Magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English - language Novels from 1923 to 2005 . </P> <P> Baldwin makes several references to the Bible in Go Tell It on the Mountain, most importantly to the story of Ham, Noah's son who saw his father naked one day . Noah consequently cursed Ham's son Canaan to become the servant of Noah's other sons . </P>

When does go tell it on the mountain take place